Netanyahu defies international arrest warrant on visit to Hungary
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu touched down in Hungary, stepping out for the first time into a country that recognizes the jurisdiction of the ICC.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu touched down in Hungary overnight, stepping out for the first time into a country that recognizes the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court which issued a warrant for his arrest last year.
The possibility of his arrest seemed distant however, after Hungary's right-wing Prime minister Viktor Orbán, a well known supporter of Israel, vowed to defy the court's directive shortly after it was issued in November. Orbán could be seen in video on Thursday welcoming Netanyahu and his wife Sara to the capital Budapest.
Hungarian officials on Thursday signaled that the country may withdraw from the ICC, which accused Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant of crimes against humanity in connection with the war in Gaza.
As the conflict nears its 18th month, Israel ramped up its operations in the enclave, and Netanyahu announced Wednesday night that the Israeli military had begun “seizing territory” across the strip.
He added that his country was planning to establish the “Morag” corridor, which he said would be similar to the Philadelphi security corridor that cuts across Gaza's southern border with Egypt.
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