Hungary announced Thursday that it will begin the process of withdrawing from the International Criminal Court, with Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Chief of Staff Gergely Gulyas confirming the decision.
He argued that the decision was in line with the country's constitutional and international legal obligations.
The news follows the arrival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the country for a four-day official visit.
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 last November over accusations of war crimes in Gaza.
Human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have called on Hungary to arrest Netanyahu if he travels to the country and hand him over to the ICC.
Last November, the ICC issued arrest warrants for both Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel is facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its military actions in Gaza, where it has killed more than 50,400 people since the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by the Palestinian group Hamas.
Many countries condemned Hungary's decision to withdraw from the ICC.
"It is deeply regrettable that Hungary is withdrawing from the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court," Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot wrote on X.
Prevot noted that Hungary would be the only EU member state not included in the Rome Statute.
"This is a significant setback for international justice and the fight against impunity for the most serious crimes, including genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression," he said.
Prevot warned that this decision risks fostering a world where "might makes right."
"It is important to remind Hungary that as long as it has not officially withdrawn, it remains bound to respect the Statute and to cooperate fully with the Court, including by complying with the arrest warrants it issues," he added, tacitly pointing to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's current visit to the country.
Prevot also reiterated Belgium's constant support to the ICC, highlighting that it places "fundamental importance" on upholding the court's independence and impartiality.
Germany also criticized Hungary's decision to leave the ICC.
"This is a bad day for international criminal law," Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told journalists in Brussels on the sidelines of a NATO foreign ministers' meeting.
"Europe also has clear rules here that apply to all EU members, and that is the Rome Statute. I have repeatedly made it clear that no one in Europe is above the law, and that applies to all areas of law," she added.
The Rome Statute is the treaty that established the court.
