Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed in Hungary early Thursday morning, at the invitation of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. After a short rest, Netanyahu and his wife Sara attended a welcoming reception hosted by Orbán.
The primary goal of the visit is to create cracks in the wall of the International Criminal Court in The Hague - cracks that could lead to the cancellation of the international arrest warrants issued for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. In Israel, it is believed that the move would run counter to the policy of the European Union and the Rome Statute, to which Hungary is a signatory.
The friendship between Orbán and Netanyahu, their shared anti-liberal conservative worldview, and the strong bilateral relations between the two countries helped facilitate the visit and advance efforts to block anti-Israel moves within the European Union.
During the prime minister's visit, Reuters reported that Hungary had officially announced its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court in The Hague. With this move, Hungary becomes the only EU member state that is not a party to the court.
