Hungary withdraws from ICC as Israel’s Netanyahu visits

Hungary’s government has announced its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), just before Prime Minister Viktor Orban received his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, the subject of an ICC arrest warrant. “Hungary exits the International Criminal Court. The government will initiate the withdrawal procedure on Thursday, in accordance with the constitutional and international legal framework,” […]

Hungary’s government has announced its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), just before Prime Minister Viktor Orban received his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, the subject of an ICC arrest warrant.

“Hungary exits the International Criminal Court. The government will initiate the withdrawal procedure on Thursday, in accordance with the constitutional and international legal framework,” Orban’s chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, posted on Facebook on Thursday.

Orban, who first floated the idea in February after the US imposed sanctions on the court, said Hungary is withdrawing because the ICC has become too politicised, citing its decisions on Israel.

The withdrawal bill is likely to be approved by Hungary’s parliament, which is dominated by Orban’s Fidesz party.

The governing body of the ICC voiced regret and concern over Hungary’s announcement, saying any departure harmed a “shared quest for justice”.

“When a State Party withdraws from the Rome Statute [that established the ICC], it clouds our shared quest for justice and weakens our resolve to fight impunity,” the presidency of the Assembly of State Parties said in a statement.