The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summons the Hungarian ambassador to protest the reception of Netanyahu, who is wanted by international justice
Ramallah – April 7, 2025 : The Director of the European Affairs Department, Ambassador Adel Attia, summoned the Hungarian Ambassador to the State of Palestine, Mr. Gabor Dekaci, to the Ministry’s headquarters today, Monday.
He conveyed to him the State of Palestine’s protest and condemnation of Hungary’s reception of Netanyahu, against whom an arrest warrant has been issued by the International Criminal Court for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity against our people.
Ambassador Attia warned that receiving Netanyahu encourages Israel, the illegal occupying power, to commit further war crimes of genocide and displacement, as it constitutes complicity with the occupying state.
He added that Hungary’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court does not absolve it of its responsibilities under the Rome Statute, especially since the crimes committed by Israel constitute a violation of international law.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban hosted his long-standing Israeli ally in Hungary this week, despite an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant. Netanyahu’s visit came as Hungary announced its withdrawal from the tribunal.
“I have just concluded a very important visit to Hungary,” Netanyahu said in a statement adding that cooperation in the production of munitions among other issues was discussed.
Netanyahu headed straight to the United States, where he was set to discuss tariffs, Iran and the ICC, among other thorny issues with US President Donald Trump on Monday.
Both Orban and Netanyahu slammed the ICC at a joint press conference, with the Israeli premier expressing hope that Hungary “would not be the last state” to exit the “corrupt organisation”.
The ICC last year issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes — including starvation as a method of warfare — in Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
Orban defended the government’s decision not to execute the ICC warrant against Netanyahu in his weekly radio interview, saying that it is “not customary to arrest guests” in Hungary and there was no will to do so since Israel is regarded as a “friend”.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock criticised the decision, calling it a “bad day” for international criminal law.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said he didn’t think his country or any other European state would have arrested the Israeli leader. The visit to Hungary marked Netanyahu’s first trip to Europe since 2023.
During his four-day visit, Netanyahu met Jewish community leaders, visited a Holocaust memorial on the bank of the Danube river and was awarded an honorary degree from a university.
Hungarian police said Saturday it had detained two Frenchmen on suspicion of hooliganism and vandalism after they allegedly tore down and damaged Israeli flags at the Szechenyi chain bridge.
Netanyahu and Orban also had a call with Trump about Hungary’s decision to exit the ICC.
Israel had attempted to duck the US tariffs imposed on nearly every country by moving preemptively Tuesday — a day before Trump’s big global tariff announcement — to drop all remaining duties on the one percent of American goods still affected by them.
But Trump moved ahead with the tariffs, saying the United States had a significant trade deficit with its Middle East ally and top beneficiary of military aid.
