Gambiaj.com – (BUDAPEST, Hungary) – Hungary’s Prime Minister-elect, Peter Magyar, has announced that his incoming government will halt the country’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, a move that could expose visiting leaders wanted by the court, including Benjamin Netanyahu, to arrest on Hungarian soil.
Speaking to reporters at the Hungexpo Budapest Congress and Exhibition Centre on Monday, Magyar said Hungary would uphold its obligations as a member of the ICC, stressing that any individual subject to an arrest warrant who enters the country “should be detained.”
His remarks mark a sharp policy reversal from the outgoing administration of Viktor Orbán, which initiated the withdrawal process last year.
The decision carries immediate geopolitical implications, particularly for Netanyahu, who is currently sought by the ICC. The court, based in The Hague, issued an arrest warrant in 2024 against the Israeli leader over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip. Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is also named in the same case.
Magyar’s stance raises the prospect that Netanyahu could face arrest if he proceeds with a planned visit to Hungary in October, where he is expected to attend a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Hungarian Uprising of 1956.
While Magyar declined to confirm whether he had directly discussed the matter with Netanyahu, his comments signal a stricter adherence to international legal obligations under his leadership. “If a wanted person enters, they must be arrested,” he reiterated, according to Hungarian media reports.
The policy shift also effectively halts Hungary’s pending exit from the ICC, which had been scheduled to take effect on June 2. Magyar indicated that his team had already reviewed steps to interrupt the withdrawal process before it was finalized.
The development underscores a broader divergence in Hungary’s foreign policy direction, with the incoming government positioning itself closer to international legal frameworks after years of friction under Orbán’s leadership.
Magyar is expected to be sworn in during the inaugural session of Hungary’s National Assembly, scheduled for the weekend of May 9–10.
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