Budapest: The Hungarian government has decided to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), shortly after the arrival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Budapest.

According to Qatar News Agency, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb¡n announced on Thursday that the decision to withdraw from the ICC stems from the belief that the court has become a political entity. This move comes amidst heightened tensions as the Israeli Prime Minister faces an arrest warrant from the ICC for alleged war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip following the Israeli occupation’s actions on October 7, 2023.

The Presidency of the International Criminal Court expressed its concern on Thursday regarding Hungary’s withdrawal decision. In a formal letter, the ICC Presidency urged Hungary to uphold its commitment to the Rome Statute, which is the founding treaty of the court. This appeal highlights the significance of Hungary’s role as a founding member of the ICC, which obligates it to arrest and surrender individuals against whom the court issues warrants.

On November 21, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant. The charges include war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip. The court’s statement at the time indicated that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Galant were involved in crimes against civilians, such as using starvation as a weapon of war, murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.