Hungary has now reportedly announced that it will soon leave the International Criminal Court.
The action was taken as Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu made his first European trip since the court issued its warrant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza War, arriving in Hungary on Wednesday for a state visit.
According to an ICC spokesman, the court asked the Hungarian government to detain Netanyahu on Thursday morning. For months, however, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has stated that Hungary would not abide by the warrant.
Arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have been issued, which has weakened the ICC’s standing among its member nations and increased skepticism about the court’s jurisdiction.
The Trump administration’s strong support for Israel is a challenge to the ICC. France and Italy, two European nations who have long been the ICC’s staunchest allies, have indicated that they would not abide by an order to arrest Netanyahu.
Others in Europe have now followed Orban in publicly disobeying the court over the Netanyahu warrant.
Germany’s probable next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, asked Netanyahu to visit in February, claiming that Germany will find a way to get around the ICC warrant.
The concept that an Israeli prime minister cannot travel to the Federal Republic of Germany is, in Merz’s opinion, utterly ridiculous.
The waning backing from Europe follows sanctions levied by the Trump administration on ICC head prosecutor Karim Khan for requesting the warrants.
The United States has declared its intention to target other ICC officials involved in the proceedings against Gallant and Netanyahu. They will be named in a report that the State Department is developing and is due this month.
In an area where practically every country has ratified the Rome Statute, the ICC’s founding treaty, Hungary’s action is concerning for the court as it is the first time a European nation has left the ICC.
The Hague-based court receives a large portion of its financing and credibility from European nations.
The Rome Statute has not been approved by other significant powers, such as the United States, Russia, China, and India.
The Nuremberg trials, which brought Nazis to justice following World War II, are the forerunners of the ICC.
The establishment of a permanent court that would prosecute the most serious transgressions of international law was promoted by the American military prosecutors who filed the charges in Nuremberg. Although it was signed in 2000, the United States never ratified the Rome Statute.
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