Hungary reverses ICC withdrawal

Prime Minister Péter Magyar said on May 23 that Hungary was reversing its planned withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, reopening a dispute that began under his predecessor Viktor Orbán and centered on whether Budapest would honor ICC arrest warrants for Israeli leaders. The move pulled Hungary back from becoming the only European Union member state outside the court, according to rights groups and regional reporting. It did not change the legal status of the warrants issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant. Those warrants, issued by the ICC on November 21, 2024, remain active. ### Why did Hungary’s ICC position change now? May 23 was the date Magyar said his government was withdrawing Hungary’s intention to leave the court, according to reporting carried by Yahoo and other outlets. Regional reports said the decision was published in Hungary’s official gazette and included steps to revoke the earlier termination of the Rome Statute and related agreements on the court’s privileges and immunities. (yahoo.com) Viktor Orbán had set Hungary on the exit path in 2025 after hosting Netanyahu in Budapest despite the ICC warrant. Hungary’s parliament later approved the withdrawal, and rights groups said the process was due to take effect on June 2, 2026 unless reversed. ### What was the dispute over Netanyahu and Gallant? (yahoo.com) The International Criminal Court said on November 21, 2024 that Pre-Trial Chamber I had issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant in the Palestine case after rejecting Israel’s jurisdictional challenges. The court said the warrants concerned alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. (timesofisrael.com) Hungary became a focal point because Orbán’s government signaled it would not execute the warrant if Netanyahu visited. Human Rights Watch said in March 2026 that, as an ICC member, Hungary was obliged to arrest Netanyahu if he entered Hungarian territory. The Jerusalem Post reported that the warrants for both Israeli officials remain in place despite Budapest’s reversal on withdrawal. (icc-cpi.int) ### Did Hungary’s reversal settle the legal fight? The legal issue remains unresolved because staying in the ICC does not cancel the warrants or answer how Hungary would act in a future visit by a wanted person. Reporting on Magyar’s earlier comments said he had stated in April that if Hungary remained an ICC member and a person wanted by the court entered its territory, “that person must be taken into custody.” (hrw.org) The court had already pressed Hungary for explanations over its handling of Netanyahu’s earlier visit. Reporting by Times of Israel said the ICC had set a May 23 deadline for Hungarian submissions on why the arrest warrant was not enforced. ### Why did this matter for the ICC itself? June 2, 2026 had been cited by Human Rights Watch as the date Hungary’s withdrawal would take effect if not halted. (msn.com) That timetable mattered because Hungary would have become the only EU member state outside the court, according to the group. The ICC has had previous withdrawals by Burundi and the Philippines, but Hungary’s case carried added weight because it involved an EU government openly challenging an active warrant tied to one of the court’s most politically sensitive cases. (timesofisrael.com) Rights groups and legal coverage had framed that as a test of whether a member state would leave rather than comply. (hrw.org) ### What happens next? June 2 remains the key date tied to the abandoned withdrawal timetable, though Magyar’s government has said it is reversing the move. The next concrete test will come if Netanyahu or Gallant plans travel to Hungary or another ICC member state while the November 2024 warrants remain in force. (hrw.org 1) (hrw.org 2)