Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he would invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Hungary and promised not to comply with the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant.
UNN reports this with reference to Reuters.
Orban, whose country holds the European Union presidency for six months, said on state radio that the ICC arrest warrant was “wrong” and said the Israeli leader would be able to hold talks in Hungary “in proper security.
Today I will invite the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Netanyahu, to visit Hungary, and in this invitation I guarantee him that if he comes, the ICC decision will not be valid in Hungary, and we will not follow its content
Since Orbán and his nationalist Fidesz party came to power in 2010, he and Netanyahu have developed a close political relationship. Netanyahu visited Budapest in 2017.
Israeli leaders and the White House strongly condemned the ICC's decision, while EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said that the warrants are not political and that all EU member states must respect and comply with the court's decision.
Addendum [1
On November 21 , the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant.