Hungary announced on Thursday it would commence the process of withdrawing from the International Criminal Court amid Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visit to the country.
Natanyahu had been placed under international arrest warrant on allegation of war crimes committed in the Gaza war.
Countries that has signed off with the ICC, including Hungary are required to turn-in the Israeli leader on arrival to the country.
However, with Hungary indicating it was withdrawing from the ICC-clearly signal a lack of commitment or intentions to hand over Natanyahu to the body.
“Hungary will withdraw from the International Criminal Court,” Gergely Gulyás, who is Prime Minister Viktor Orbán chief of staff wrote in a brief statement.
Adding that “The government will initiate the withdrawal procedure on Thursday, in accordance with the constitutional and international legal framework.”
Hungary’s government, led by right-wing populist Orbán, extended the invitation to Netanyahu in November after the ICC, based in the Hague, Netherlands, issued the warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity.
Orbán, a close Netanyahu ally, has called the arrest warrant “outrageously impudent” and “cynical”.
