Flouting ICC arrest warrant, Hungarian premier says he will invite Israel's Netanyahu to visit

By Nur Asena Erturk

Hungary’s prime minister said Friday he will invite his Israeli counterpart to visit, despite an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

"Later today, I will extend an invitation to Mr. Netanyahu to visit Hungary. I will guarantee him that if he comes, the warrant will no effect in Hungary," Viktor Orban told Kossuth Radio on Friday.

Orban called the warrant for Netanyahu’s arrest “cynical” political interference in the ongoing Middle East conflict under the pretext of law.

This warrants “add fuel to the fire,” Orban said, adding that he opposes them.

The ICC on Thursday issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.

The court said it had reasonable grounds to believe that both bear criminal responsibility for "the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts."

In contrast to Orban, many world leaders welcomed the warrants, calling them a step forward towards justice, and said they would do what the Rome Statute calls for if either officials sets foot in their territory.

Israel’s genocidal offensive in Gaza recently entered its second year, having already killed some 44,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing and deliberate blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, pushing the population to the brink of starvation.