Budapest: The Hungarian parliament on Tuesday approved a bill that will initiate a year-long process for the country's withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC). This move marks a significant shift in Hungary's international legal commitments and has sparked discussions on the implications of such a withdrawal.
According to Anadolu Agency, Hungary announced its intention to leave the ICC on April 3, shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Budapest for a rare state visit. This visit defied an arrest warrant issued by the international tribunal over war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met with Netanyahu during the visit and criticized the ICC's arrest warrant, claiming it demonstrated the court's lack of independence and political motivation.
Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto expressed strong criticism of the ICC's recent actions, describing them as "nonsensical" and "politically biased," as reported by the MTI news agency. Szijjarto highlighted the issuance of a wanted list for deceased Hamas leaders as an attempt to balance the politically contentious decision to include Israel's prime minister on the list, further emphasizing the perceived bias.
The warrants issued last November also targeted Netanyahu's former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif, who was killed in July that year. Szijjarto argued that Hungary should not be part of an organization he deemed frivolous and politically motivated, and he announced that the government would notify the UN secretary-general of the decision following the president's signing and promulgation of the legislation. Hungary has been a member of the ICC since 2001.
The announcement of Hungary's withdrawal coincided with calls from human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, for Hungary to detain Netanyahu and extradite him to the ICC. These calls, however, were not acted upon by the Hungarian government.
Furthermore, Israel is currently facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice related to its actions in Gaza, where over 53,000 people have reportedly been killed since October 2023, and humanitarian aid has been blocked for more than two months.