Hungary votes to withdraw from International Criminal Court

ISTANBUL

Hungary’s parliament voted Tuesday to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced.

“With this decision, we refuse to be part of a politicized institution that has lost its impartiality and credibility,” Szijjarto wrote on X.

On April 3, Hungary announced its intention to leave the ICC 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 since October 2023.

His visit to Hungary marked his first trip to European soil since the arrest warrant was issued.

Human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, had called on Hungary to arrest Netanyahu and hand him over to the ICC, but the calls went unanswered.

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

On Tuesday, South Africa told the court that Israel is using starvation as a weapon against Palestinians, in violation of international law.

At least 65% of the Palestinians killed in Israel’s ongoing military offensive on Gaza are women, children and the elderly, Gaza authorities said Sunday.