Hungary says it will not enforce an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on its territory.
Government minister Gergely Gulyás told reporters in Budapest on Thursday that Mr Netanyahu would not be detained if he visited Hungary.
Hungary is a signatory of the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, but Mr Gulyás said that provisions for enforcing the court’s decisions were not fully in force in the central European country.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is seen as an ally of Mr Netanyahu, who condemned the ICC move as “outrageous and a disgrace.’’
ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan on Monday said he is seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his defence minister Yoav Gallant and three leaders of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The arrest over war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Israel and the Gaza Strip since the October 7 attacks.
The judges of the ICC’s pre-trial chamber will now decide whether to issue the requested arrest warrants, meaning that formal proceedings can be initiated against the accused.
Budapest said in 2023 it would not enforce an ICC arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes in Ukraine.
(dpa/NAN)
