In brief
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Hungary comes at a time when he is under pressure from an international arrest warrant. In Hungary, he finds support from Prime Minister Viktor Orban who openly disregards the court’s authority and thrives on shared ethnonationalist sentiments.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel kicked off a visit to Hungary on Thursday, exuding confidence that the nation would sidestep an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against him last November. The trip marks Netanyahu’s inaugural journey to a country that recognizes the ICC's jurisdiction, although Hungary's government has assured him that they will not honor the court's orders.Netanyahu previously met with President Trump in Washington to discuss the future of Gaza in February; however, the U.S. has similarly dismissed the ICC's authority, aligning closely with Israel’s position. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban quickly extended an invitation to Netanyahu shortly after the warrant was announced, stating that “the judgment of the I.C.C. will have no effect in Hungary and that we will not follow its terms.”Despite the backdrop of anti-Semitic propaganda often targeting Jewish financier George Soros in Hungary, Orban has publicly shown solidarity with Netanyahu, seeing him as a fellow leader in promoting nationalist principles and rejecting foreign interference. Their connection embodies a shared ideology that resonates with both leaders' emphasis on national sovereignty and their push against perceived external threats.
