Hungary’s Prime Minister-elect Péter Magyar has stated that his country would be legally obliged to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he enters Hungarian territory while subject to an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant.
Magyar made the remarks yesterday in response to questions about an invitation to visit Hungary later this year handed to Netanyahu.
The Israeli leader has been invited to attend commemorations marking the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution against Soviet rule, an event scheduled for October 2026.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024 for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Magyar, whose Tisza Party won Hungary’s general election earlier in April, told reporters: “If a country is a member of the ICC and a person who is wanted by the ICC enters our territory, then that person must be taken into custody.”
He explained the move of both inviting and wanting to arrest the Israeli PM by stating: “I have unanimously invited all state leaders, be they prime minister or president, to the 70th anniversary of the 1956 revolution.”
“I don’t have to tell everything on the phone, assuming that every head of state or government is aware of these laws.”
He said he had also clearly spoken to the Israeli Prime Minister about the fact that Hungary has remained a member of the ICC and added that he was confident Netanyahu was aware of this legal obligation.
The incoming government has announced it will halt the previous administration’s process of withdrawing from the ICC.
Under former prime minister Viktor Orbán, Hungary had begun steps to leave the court, a move announced during Netanyahu’s visit to Budapest in April 2025, when no arrest was carried out.
That point is central to the legal and political dispute. If Hungary’s withdrawal from the ICC is not reversed before it takes effect, then by October 2026 — when the anniversary events are due to take place — Budapest would no longer, in principle, be bound in the same way as a state party to execute the warrant.
Magyar has emphasised that Hungary intends to remain a member of the ICC, at least until the withdrawal process is formally reversed or suspended by June 2.
The 70th anniversary commemorations of the 1956 uprising are due to take place after that date.
The invitation to Netanyahu was extended during a telephone conversation between the two leaders on April 15.
Magyar described the call as “warm” and expressed his desire to maintain close bilateral relations with Israel.
Netanyahu accepted the invitation and, in turn, invited Magyar to a government-to-government meeting in Jerusalem.
The 1956 Hungarian Revolution, also known as the Hungarian Uprising, saw Hungarians rise against Soviet domination. It was violently crushed by Soviet forces in November of that year, resulting in thousands of deaths and a large exodus of refugees.
The anniversary events are expected to form a major state occasion under the new government.
During Orbán’s prime ministership, Hungary was one of Israel’s main allies, using its veto to stop European Union action against Israel.
