Peter Magyar, Hungary’s prime minister-elect, said on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be arrested if he enters Hungarian territory.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024 on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Member states of the ICC are obliged to arrest individuals for whom the court has issued warrants.
Netanyahu visited Hungary last year, but at the time he was not arrested because Hungary’s then-prime minister was his ally.
Prior to that visit, Viktor Orbán announced that Hungary would withdraw from the International Criminal Court, a process that, under the Rome Statute, takes one year to take effect.
However, Magyar said he would halt the withdrawal process.
He said: “I made this clear to the Israeli prime minister as well… The firm position of the Tisza government is that this process will be stopped and that Hungary will remain a member of the International Criminal Court.”
He added: “If a country is a member of the International Criminal Court and a person subject to an ICC arrest warrant enters its territory, that person must be arrested.”
France has previously said that arresting Netanyahu could conflict with its other agreements with Israel. Former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in April 2025 that he could not imagine Germany arresting Netanyahu. Italy has also granted the Israeli prime minister immunity.
