BUDAPEST – Hungary’s new Prime Minister-elect Peter Magyar said Monday that his country must take Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into custody if the latter enters Hungarian territory while wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Magyar said Hungary would halt plans to withdraw from the ICC, meaning it remains bound by the court’s legal obligations.
As an ICC member state, Hungary is required to arrest individuals wanted by the court — including Netanyahu, who has been under an arrest warrant since November 2024 over war crimes in Gaza.
“If a person wanted by the ICC enters our territory, that individual must be arrested,” he said at a press conference.
The statement comes despite reports that Netanyahu had previously been invited to attend events marking the 70th anniversary of Hungary’s Revolution.
Magyar, who won a landslide election earlier this month, ending Viktor Orban’s 16-year rule, pledged to reverse the previous government’s decision to leave the ICC.
The withdrawal was set to take effect on June 2 and would have made Hungary the only European Union country not to recognise the ICC’s jurisdiction.
However, Magyar stressed that his government would ensure Hungary remains a member of the ICC.
Meanwhile, several European countries have taken differing positions on the arrest warrant.
France said arresting Netanyahu could conflict with existing agreements, while former German chancellor Olaf Scholz said it was difficult to imagine such a move being carried out in Germany.
Italy also indicated it would not enforce the warrant against Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant, citing immunity for foreign leaders under the Vienna Convention.