Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has applauded Hungary for its "bold and principled" decision to leave the International Criminal Court as he visited Budapest, a rare trip abroad in defiance of an ICC arrest warrant.
Mr Netanyahu, invited by Hungary's right-wing leader Viktor Orban, faces the warrant over allegations of war crimes in Gaza.
Hungary has rejected the idea of arresting him, describing the warrant as "brazen".
In an announcement timed with Mr Netanyahu's visit, Mr Orban said that Hungary would withdraw from the ICC, an organisation set up more than two decades ago to prosecute those accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
"This is no longer an impartial court, a rule-of-law court, but rather a political court. This has become the clearest in light of its decisions on Israel," Mr Orban told journalists at an event with Mr Netanyahu where they did not take questions.
The Israeli leader's office said that he and Mr Orban spoke to US President Donald Trump about Hungary's decision to withdraw from the ICC and discussed "the next steps that can be taken on this issue".
Mr Orban invited his Israeli counterpart to Budapest in November, a day after the arrest warrant was issued.
Israel has rejected the ICC accusations, saying they are politically motivated and fuelled by antisemitism.
It said the ICC has lost all legitimacy by issuing the warrants against a democratically elected leader of a country exercising its right to self defence.
"You stand with us at the EU, you stand with us at the UN and you've just taken a bold and principled position on the ICC ... it's important for all democracies to stand up to this corrupt organisation," Mr Netanyahu told Mr Orban.
The ICC presidency expressed concern about Hungary's decision, urging it in a letter to continue to be a resolute party to the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the court, it said in a statement.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
The visit is Mr Netanyahu's second trip abroad since the ICC announced the warrant, following a visit to Washington in February.
As a founding member of the ICC, Hungary is obliged to arrest and hand over anyone subject to a warrant from the court.
Hungary ratified the ICC's founding document in 2001, but the law has not been passed.
Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp of the Netherlands, which hosts the ICC, said that until its withdrawal from the ICC is complete, which he said takes about a year, Hungary must still meet its duties.
European Union countries have been split on the warrant.
Some said last year that they would meet their ICC commitments, Italy said there were legal doubts, and France said it believed that Mr Netanyahu had immunity to the court's actions.
Germany's next chancellor Friedrich Merz said in February that he would find a way for the Israeli leader to visit without being arrested.
The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas leader Mohammed Deif whose death was later confirmed.
Prosecutors had also sought to arrest Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar. Both were killed before the request was approved.
Explainer: What is the International Criminal Court?
The Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies, with 59 still held in Gaza.
The Israeli reprisals following the attack have killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, health authorities in Gaza said.
Hamas condemned Hungary's decision to leave the ICC, describing it "as a slap in the face to the principle of international justice".
