Netanyahu jets to Orbn's Hungary, a safe haven from his international arrest warrant [View all]

Source: CNN

Once upon a time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strode the world with great confidence. His message for audiences back home, after another successful trip to Africa or Asia, would focus on how his hosts wanted Israel’s technology and admired its security. It is very different these days. Since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for his arrest in November over allegations of possible war crimes in Gaza, Netanyahu hasn’t visited a country under the court’s jurisdiction. That is, until Wednesday, when he landed in Budapest for a four-day visit.

“Welcome to Budapest, Israel PM, Benjamin Netanyahu!” Hungary’s defense minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky wrote in a post on Facebook alongside photos of the pair meeting at the airport. The Hungarian capital is safe ground for the Israeli leader and home to one of his biggest international pals, Viktor Orbán.

Hungary’s premier was among the first to condemn the ICC announcement, in which the court said it had “reasonable grounds” to believe Netanyahu bore criminal responsibility for war crimes including “starvation as a method of warfare.” “Brazen, cynical and completely unacceptable,” Orbán countered, adding that his friend’s freedom would be guaranteed when he next wished to visit.

Should it indeed fail to enforce the ICC decision, Hungary will be in breach of its obligations under the Rome Statute, which established the court in 2002. But it seems clear Netanyahu is not concerned he may be met by police when he lands at Budapest’s Ferenc Liszt airport.

Read more: https://cnn.com/2025/04/02/world/netanyahu-travels-to-hungary-intl/index.html