{"id":8002,"date":"2026-04-21T10:38:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T10:38:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsmakers.com.pk\/en\/?p=8002"},"modified":"2026-04-21T10:38:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T10:38:34","slug":"hungarys-pm-peter-magyar-vows-to-arrest-netanyahu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsmakers.com.pk\/en\/international\/hungarys-pm-peter-magyar-vows-to-arrest-netanyahu\/8002\/","title":{"rendered":"Hungary’s PM Peter Magyar Vows to Arrest Netanyahu"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Web Desk<\/strong>
April 21, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BUDAPEST<\/strong> \u2013 Hungary’s newly elected Prime Minister Peter Magyar has declared that his government will detain any leader wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) \u2014 including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu \u2014 should they set foot on Hungarian soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement marks a dramatic reversal of his predecessor Viktor Orban’s policy and has created a diplomatic dilemma just months after Netanyahu accepted an invitation to visit Budapest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Must Be Taken Into Custody’<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Responding to a reporter’s question about whether Netanyahu would be arrested if he visits Hungary, Magyar gave a clear and direct answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“If someone is a member of the International Criminal Court and a person who is wanted enters our territory, then they must be taken into custody,”<\/strong> Magyar told reporters at a press conference on Monday.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The incoming prime minister added: “I don’t need to spell everything out over the phone. I assume that every head of state and government is familiar with these laws”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Halting Hungary’s ICC Withdrawal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Magyar also confirmed that his government will halt Hungary’s withdrawal from the ICC \u2014 a process initiated by former Prime Minister Viktor Orban following Netanyahu’s visit to Budapest in April 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The withdrawal was scheduled to take effect on June 2, 2026. However, Magyar stated that his government can stop the process before Hungary formally leaves the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The previous Orban government had rejected the ICC warrants, describing the court as “politically biased” and guaranteeing that Netanyahu would not be arrested during his visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Netanyahu Invitation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The clarification came after Magyar had extended an invitation to Netanyahu to attend the 70th anniversary celebrations of Hungary’s 1956 anti-Soviet uprising in Budapest this October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to an Israeli readout of a phone call between the two leaders on April 15, Netanyahu had accepted the invitation . Magyar said he had made Hungary’s position on ICC membership clear to the Israeli prime minister during their conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“I also made clear to the Israeli prime minister that we will not back down [from cancelling the ICC withdrawal] because my colleagues have examined it and we can still stop the withdrawal,”<\/strong> he said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Background: The ICC Warrant<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The warrants allege war crimes and crimes against humanity \u2014 including starvation as a method of warfare \u2014 during Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ICC has no enforcement methods of its own and relies on the cooperation of its 124 member states to carry out arrest warrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Other Countries Have Done<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since the warrants were issued, countries have taken different positions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Position<\/th>Countries<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Would arrest Netanyahu<\/strong><\/td>Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, South Africa<\/td><\/tr>
Would not arrest Netanyahu<\/strong><\/td>Argentina, Czech Republic, Romania, Poland<\/td><\/tr>
Claimed immunity<\/strong><\/td>France, Italy<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Orban vs. Magyar: A Foreign Policy Shift<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The policy reversal represents a fundamental shift in Hungary’s foreign policy orientation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n