Politics

Israel’s PM to visit Hungary despite ICC arrest warrant

Archive photo by Kobi Gideon / GPO / Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Archive photo by Kobi Gideon / GPO / Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Hungary this week, his office said on Sunday, defying an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court issued over allegations of war crimes in Gaza.

During the visit, due to begin on Wednesday and run until Sunday, Netanyahu will meet his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orbán, who invited him in November, soon after the ICC issued the arrest warrant.

Orbán said at the time that the warrant would “not be observed.”

All European Union member states, including Hungary, are members of the ICC, which means they are required to enforce its warrants. Orban, a right-wing nationalist, has often been at odds with the EU over democratic standards and human rights in Hungary.

It will be Netanyahu's second trip abroad since the ICC announced the warrants, following a visit to Washington in February to meet U.S. President Donald Trump.

Israel has denounced the warrants against Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, describing the allegations as “false and absurd.” The ICC has also issued a warrant for the arrest of a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri.
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