Palestinian Foreign Ministry summons Hungarian ambassador to protest Israeli premier’s reception

By Awad Rjoob and Betul Yilmaz

RAMALLAH, Palestine/ISTANBUL (AA) – The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Hungarian ambassador Monday to protest Hungary’s reception of Israel’s prime minister last week.

The Director of the European Affairs Department, Adel Attia, summoned Gabor Decacchi to the ministry’s headquarters in Ramallah.

Attia conveyed to Decacchi Palestine’s protest and strong condemnation of Hungary’s reception of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, against whom an arrest warrant has been issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, the statement said.

He warned that “welcoming Netanyahu would encourage Israel, the illegal occupying power, to commit further crimes of genocide and displacement, as it constitutes complicity with the occupying state.”

He underlined that Hungary’s withdrawal from the ICC would not absolve it of the responsibilities under the Rome Statute, as Israeli war crimes violate international law.

Netanyahu's visit to Hungary marks the first time he has set foot on European soil since the ICC issued the arrest warrant for him and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant last November.

Human rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called on Hungary to arrest Netanyahu and hand him over to the ICC.

Israel is facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its military actions in Gaza, where it has killed more than 50,700 people since the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by the Palestinian group Hamas.