Previously, only Burundi and the Philippines had withdrawn from this tribunal.

On Tuesday, Hungary’s Parliament approved the country’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), in response to the tribunal’s decision to charge Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with war crimes in Gaza.

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Previously, Prime Minister Viktor Orban had announced his intention to leave the ICC in April, coinciding with a visit by Netanyahu to Hungary. Officials argued the court had become a “political body.”

The government’s proposal to leave the court passed with 134 votes in favor, 37 against and seven abstentions. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjartó is expected to notify United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of the decision.

Hungary becomes the first European country to leave the ICC, which was established to prosecute the most serious crimes — genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity — when national governments are unable or unwilling to do so.

To date, only Burundi and the Philippines have withdrawn from the court. Countries such as the United States, China, Russia and Israel are not members of the ICC and therefore do not recognize its jurisdiction, particularly in cases affecting themselves or their allies.

The International Criminal Court was established under the Rome Statute in 1999. Hungary signed the treaty and ratified it in 2001. In November 2024, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.

As a member of the court, Hungary would have been required to execute the arrest warrant during Netanyahu’s visit in April. However, Orban refused, stating that Hungary’s penal code does not enforce ICC decisions.

“We don’t usually arrest our guests. We didn’t want to do that, because we make friends, and it’s good that Israel is a friend of Hungary,” he said.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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