Israeli flags seen alongside Hungarian flags on a bridge over the Danube connecting Buda and Pest (Source: @MarkHiggie1/X)
Israeli flags on a Danube River bridge in Hungary, April 3, 2025 (Source: @MarkHiggie1/X)

Hungary Quits ICC, Set to Move Embassy to Jerusalem

Details
The Judean Staff
International

In a stunning rebuke of what it describes as "deeply politicized" international institutions, Hungary has officially announced its intention to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), sending shockwaves through diplomatic corridors across Europe. The bold move came just hours before Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was set to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a landmark wartime visit in the Hungarian capital.

“The government will initiate the termination procedure today, in accordance with Hungary’s constitution and international legal frameworks,” declared Gergely Gulyás, Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, in a pointed statement to Hungary’s national news agency MTI.

The announcement represents a dramatic escalation in Hungary’s positioning on the global stage — and a powerful message to both Brussels and The Hague: Hungary will not be dictated to by international institutions that it views as compromised, anti-Israel, and increasingly irrelevant.

A Diplomatic Earthquake in Europe

Hungary’s withdrawal from the ICC comes at a particularly charged moment. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the subject of a controversial ICC arrest warrant issued in 2024 over alleged war crimes in Gaza, landed in Budapest late Wednesday night for a rare four-day wartime diplomatic mission. The ICC’s move to target Netanyahu — and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant — has been condemned by many as a politically motivated stunt aimed at undermining Israel’s sovereign right to defend itself.

Orbán, who invited Netanyahu shortly after the ICC’s warrant was issued, made it clear at the time that "the ruling has no bearing whatsoever in Hungary." Now, with Hungary set to formally withdraw from the Court, the message could not be louder.

Hungary, as an ICC signatory, would theoretically have been obligated to arrest any individual under ICC indictment — a scenario Orbán has now rendered moot through decisive, sovereign action. The move echoes a similar incident in Mongolia, where Russian President Vladimir Putin, himself wanted by the ICC, visited freely in September 2024.

Hungary to Become First EU Nation to Recognize Jerusalem as Capital

In what is expected to be the crowning diplomatic moment of Netanyahu’s visit, sources have confirmed that Hungary will officially announce the relocation of its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, becoming the first European Union member to do so since the United States led the way in 2017 under President Donald Trump.

According to a report from the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), the long-anticipated decision — delayed due to the Hamas-orchestrated massacre of October 7, 2023 — is now back on track. The move cements Hungary’s position as Israel’s staunchest ally in Europe and could serve as a model for other disillusioned EU member states seeking to realign their foreign policy in the face of growing anti-Israel sentiment from Brussels.

A Warm Embrace Amid Cold Politics

Netanyahu, accompanied by his wife Sara, will spend the next several days in Budapest in a series of high-level meetings, closed-door strategy sessions, and public appearances with Hungarian leadership. The visit — Netanyahu’s first to Europe since the ICC warrant was issued — underscores the strength of Israel-Hungary ties and represents a moment of defiant unity against the backdrop of global hostility and misinformation.

David Wiernik, Hungary’s Honorary Consul in Israel, described the alliance between the two nations as “unprecedented in its strength.”“The recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is more than symbolic — it is a moral, historical, and political statement that the Jewish people have the right to sovereignty in their eternal capital,” Wiernik told JNS. “Hungary under Prime Minister Orbán is by far the strongest and most consistent ally Israel has in the European Union.”*

Hungary already operates a trade mission in Jerusalem — a move it made in 2019 — but this week’s expected announcement will mark a decisive elevation in diplomatic recognition.

A Moment of Truth for Europe

While Hungary doubles down on its support for Israel, the European Union faces growing fractures in its foreign policy consensus. Brussels has largely remained aligned with ICC initiatives and critical of Israel’s self-defense actions in Gaza, drawing widespread condemnation from pro-Israel voices and policymakers worldwide.

By breaking with the ICC and embracing Jerusalem, Hungary is charting its own course — one based not on globalist dictates, but on principle, loyalty, and historical truth.

As Netanyahu and Orbán meet behind closed doors, one thing is clear: a new geopolitical axis is forming — one that stands unapologetically with Israel in an age of moral confusion and cowardice.

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