Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Budapest, Hungary, on Thursday morning, marking his first visit to Europe since 2023 and openly defying an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged war crimes in Gaza. The four-day trip, at the invitation of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, underscores a deepening alliance between the two leaders and Hungary’s refusal to enforce the ICC’s ruling, despite its membership in the court.
Hungary, a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the ICC, is legally obligated to arrest and transfer Netanyahu to The Hague.
The Hungarian government has signaled it may even consider withdrawing from the ICC, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from human rights groups.
The trip, Netanyahu’s second abroad since the ICC warrants were issued—following a February 2025 visit to Washington to meet U.S. President Donald Trump—includes a packed itinerary. He is expected to meet Orbán for talks on Thursday evening, visit Budapest’s Holocaust Museum, and attend a ceremony with military honors. The schedule has raised eyebrows in Israel, particularly as it extends through Shabbat, a time Netanyahu typically avoids travel, amid a renewed offensive in Gaza and domestic political turmoil over alleged ties between his aides and Qatar.
