The international human rights organisation Amnesty International has called on Hungary to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and refer him to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The demand came after information emerged that the Israeli leader would visit Budapest at the invitation of his Hungarian counterpart and “close ally” Viktor Orbán.
“Hungary should arrest him if he comes to the country and bring him to court. Any trip to an ICC member state that does not end with his arrest will embolden Israel to commit further crimes against Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory,” Amnesty International’s head of global research Erika Guevara Rosas said.
She also called Netanyahu a “war criminal” who is “welcome on the streets of an EU member state” and said inviting him to the country showed Hungary’s disrespect for international law.
Earlier, Israelis demanding an end to the war with Palestine and the immediate release of hostages from the Gaza Strip gathered at an anti-government rally in Tel Aviv. Israel is halting the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.
On February 7, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said Budapest supports US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose sanctions on the ICC.
On November 21, 2024, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Israel’s head of government as well as the country’s defence minister, Yoav Galant. The court said in a release that the instance took the appropriate decision in connection with the commission of crimes against humanity and war crimes by the politicians on the territory of the Gaza Strip.
