Palestinians slam Hungary's withdrawal from International Criminal Court

ANKARA / ISTANBUL

Palestinians strongly condemned on Thursday a decision by Hungary to exit the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Hungary announced the decision shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Budapest for a four-day visit.

Netanyahu faces an arrest warrant issued by the ICC for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, where more than 50,500 people have been killed, mostly women and children, in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023.

"We consider this decision an immoral position that represents blatant complicity with a war criminal on the run from international justice, and a flagrant violation of international law and the principles of human justice,” the Palestinian resistance group Hamas said in a statement.

"Hungary's decision constitutes a slap in the face of international justice and embodies the policy of double standards pursued by some Western governments, most notably Hungary and the US, which undermines the international judicial system, encourages impunity, and represents a direct threat to global peace and stability."

Hamas urged the Hungarian government to "immediately rescind this biased and shameful decision, fulfill its legal obligations, and hand over the war criminal Netanyahu to the ICC to hold him accountable for his crimes and receive just punishment for the massacres and genocide he committed against our Palestinian people."

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned Netanyahu’s official reception in Hungary as “a disregard for the course of international justice at the expense of the blood of our people and Palestinian civilians, including children, women, elderly, and sick people.”

It warned that hosting Netanyahu in Hungary encourages him and his government “to continue their crimes, undermine the international justice system, and perpetuate a policy of impunity.”

Netanyahu's visit to Hungary marks the first time he has set foot on European soil since the ICC issued an arrest warrant for him and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant last November.

Human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have called on Hungary to arrest Netanyahu and hand him over to the ICC.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on Gaza.