Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Budapest on Thursday for a four-day visit, openly challenging an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued against him for alleged war crimes in Gaza. The trip, hosted by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, underscores a growing rift between some European leaders and the ICC, as Hungary—a founding ICC member—has signaled it will not enforce the warrant.
Netanyahu’s visit comes amid escalating tensions in Gaza, where Israel’s expanded military operations have drawn global scrutiny. The ICC issued warrants in November for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, citing alleged war crimes tied to the conflict that erupted after a Hamas attack killed 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has since claimed over 50,000 Palestinian lives, according to Gaza officials, fueling international outrage and legal challenges.
Orban, a vocal critic of the ICC’s decision, welcomed Netanyahu with military honors at Buda Castle, where a stage was erected for the occasion. The two leaders are set to hold a joint press conference at 1000 GMT, though Netanyahu’s broader itinerary remains tightly guarded beyond a planned stop at a Holocaust memorial. Security has been heightened around his central Budapest hotel.
The visit, Netanyahu’s second abroad since the ICC ruling, follows a February trip to meet U.S. President Donald Trump, a fellow ICC skeptic. At home, Netanyahu faces a separate political firestorm over alleged Qatari ties to his aides—a claim he dismisses as “fake news,” echoed by Qatar’s rejection of a “smear campaign.”
Israel and Orban have decried the ICC warrants as baseless and politically driven, with Orban calling them “cynical” and Netanyahu arguing they undermine Israel’s right to self-defense. The ICC, however, insists its rulings are binding, leaving Hungary’s defiance a bold test of the court’s authority.
