Hungarian Prime Minister-elect Péter Magyar said Monday that his government would be obligated to detain Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he enters Hungarian territory while still subject to an International Criminal Court warrant.
Magyar made the remarks to reporters as he pledged to halt Hungary’s planned withdrawal from the ICC.
The comments mark a clear policy shift from outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who declined to enforce the warrant during Netanyahu’s April 2025 visit to Budapest. Orbán had also announced Hungary’s withdrawal from the court and publicly guaranteed that Netanyahu would not be arrested.
Magyar said he had already conveyed Hungary’s position directly to Netanyahu and stressed that his government intends to keep the country in the court. He said Hungary would move to stop the withdrawal process before it takes full effect.
Netanyahu has already accepted an invitation to visit Hungary this fall, a trip that could now become an early test of Magyar’s foreign policy and legal posture toward Israel. The Magyar said that if Hungary remains an ICC member and a person wanted by the court enters its territory, “that person must be taken into custody.”
The two leaders spoke last week, and stated that they both wish to maintain good relations with each other.
Previously, Magyar said that Israel and Hungary share a “special relationship.”
“Hungary is home to a strong Jewish community – one of the largest in Europe – fortunately living in peace and security,” Magyar said. “Many Hungarian nationals live in Israel, and many Israeli citizens come here.”
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024 on allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Member states are generally expected to cooperate with the court, including by detaining suspects who enter their territory, although several governments, including Italy, France, and Germany, have argued that competing legal obligations may complicate enforcement.
France argued that arresting the Israeli leader could conflict with other international obligations, while Germany and Italy also signaled reluctance in 2025 to act on the warrant.