From the Liveblog of
Monday, April 20, 2026
Hungary’s Magyar affirms any ICC-wanted leaders will be detained if they visit, despite invite to Netanyahu
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleNava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.
Hungarian Prime Minister-elect Peter Magyar affirms that Hungary will detain any leaders wanted by the International Criminal Court, should they visit the country, after pledging during elections that he would cancel outgoing leader Viktor Orban’s withdrawal from the body.
Asked by a reporter to reconcile that stance with his recent invitation to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – who faces an ICC arrest warrant over allegations of war crimes in Gaza – to visit Hungary for a national ceremony, Magyar says he spoke with many world leaders since being elected and “invited everyone, without exception, to Hungary for the 70th anniversary of the 1956 revolution.”
“I also made clear to the Israeli prime minister that we will not back down [from cancelling the ICC withdrawal] because my colleagues have examined it and we can still stop the withdrawal,” he continues, speaking in Hungarian.
“If someone is a member of the ICC and a person who is wanted enters the territory of our country, he or she must be detained…every state and head of government is aware of these laws,” he says.
JUST IN: PÉTER MAGYAR SAYS HE WOULD ARREST NETANYAHU IF HE COMES TO HUNGARY:
I made it clear that Hungary intends to remain a member of the International Criminal Court.
If someone enters the territory of a country that is a member of the ICC and that person is under an arrest… pic.twitter.com/KgOGKA1OJX
— Quadri (@Jibola1992) April 20, 2026
The Times of Israel Community.