Hungary’s Prime Minister Elect Invites Netanyahu to Visit Despite ICC Warrant
They had a ‘warm introductory call.’
by Joshua Carroll
17 April 2026
Hungary’s prime minister-elect has invited Benjamin Netanyahu to visit the country later this year despite pledging to rejoin the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has issued an arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister amid the genocide in Gaza.
The defeat of far-right Viktor Orbán to centre-right Péter Magyar on Sunday raised hopes that Hungary may relent on vetoing efforts by the EU to sanction Israel, and also pay greater heed to international law.
Magyar signalled on Monday that he would move away from Orbán’s policy of vetoing sanctions on Israel by default, and instead make decisions on a case by case basis.
“We need to examine every decision, but I don’t want to run too far into the future,” he said. “We will see what decisions the EU will make.”
He also announced he would reverse Orbán’s June 2025 decision to leave the ICC, which Orbán made after the court issued the warrant for Netanyahu.
Parties to the Rome Statute, the treaty that forms the basis for the ICC, are legally obliged to arrest Netanyahu if he enters their territory due to the active arrest warrant.
Magyar extended the invite to Netanyahu during a “warm introductory call” on Wednesday, Israel’s ambassador to Hungary said on X. Netanyahu is now set to attend an October ceremony celebrating 70 years since the Hungarian Uprising.
On Monday, Magyar said Hungary “cannot stop” the process started by Orbán of leaving the ICC, but that he would rejoin once the country has left.
Magyar will take office next month, and the process of withdrawal from the ICC will be complete in June. Rejoining the ICC requires a waiting period of 60 days, after which a state becomes a party to the statute on the first day of the following month.
This means that, in theory, Hungary could once again be a party to the Rome Statute in October and in clear violation of its obligations if it fails to arrest Netanyahu during his visit.
Joshua Carroll is a writer and journalist.