Hungary’s incoming government has indicated it would detain Benjamin Netanyahu if he visited the country, according to prime minister-elect Peter Magyar.
Magyar said Hungary would uphold its obligations to arrest individuals wanted by the International Criminal Court if they entered its territory. He also stated he would reverse former leader Viktor Orbán’s decision to withdraw from the Hague-based court.
The ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged crimes against humanity linked to the war in Gaza.
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MSN reports: Hungary, under the leadership of Mr Orbán, became the first European country to defy the ICC warrant, refusing to arrest the Israeli leader upon his arrival at Budapest airport last year.
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Legal experts said the move could lead to Hungary becoming a haven for international war criminals.
Mr Orbán also suggested that he was prepared to welcome Vladimir Putin, also subject to an ICC arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, for peace talks with Donald Trump.
But Mr Magyar, who won a landslide election victory to become Hungary’s first new prime minister in 16 years, sees reversing these decisions as part of the plan to restore Hungary’s relations with the EU.
By repairing alliances in Brussels, he hopes to secure billions of euros of funding from the EU.
At a press conference on Monday, Mr Magyar was questioned over an invitation he had presented to Mr Netanyahu to attend an event commemorating the country’s failed 1956 uprising against the Soviet Union.
“Every leader is welcome to attend this important commemoration,” Mr Magyar told reporters.
In reference to the ICC arrest warrant against the Israeli leader, he said: “We have a legal obligation to enforce the court’s rulings, and I’m sure he knows this.”
The announcement will probably curry favour with Brussels before he formally takes power in Budapest.
EU member states have already seized on the end of Mr Orbán’s 16 years in power as an opportunity to force through policies he had previously vetoed.
In Luxembourg on Tuesday, EU foreign ministers are discussing whether to hit Israel with sanctions over illegal settlements in the West Bank.
Spain, Slovenia and Ireland have voiced support for a suspension of the EU-Israel trade agreement. France and Sweden have tabled less-punishing proposals that would ban exports from illegal settlements to the bloc.
On Monday, Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat, said she also expected “positive decisions” on Wednesday to unblock a badly needed €90bn (£78.3bn) loan for Ukraine, as hopes rose Hungary would drop its veto.
“We expect some positive decisions tomorrow on the €90bn loan. Ukraine really needs this loan,” she said.
Under Mr Orbán, Hungary had held up the money as leverage in a feud with Ukraine over the damaged Druzhba pipeline carrying Russian oil.
But Budapest raised expectations there could be an imminent shift as it said on Tuesday that Kyiv could announce that oil was flowing again. Ms Kallas suggested these discussions were only possible because of Mr Orbán’s election defeat.
