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Israel-Hungary relations

An Arkia plane takes off at Ben Gurion Airport, outside of Tel Aviv, May 5, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
June 13, 2026, 9:28 pm
Hungary scrambles fighter jets after Israeli passenger plane fails to contact ground control
Hungarian PM says incident Thursday triggered NATO’s highest level of alert, was resolved after jets saw Arkia plane, whose pilots then radioed local air officials
By ToI Staff
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban prepares to cast his ballot at a polling station in Budapest, Hungary, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
June 13, 2026, 9:19 pm
Orban re-elected as Fidesz party leader in Hungary despite election loss
Former longtime Hungarian leader and Netanyahu ally wins 729 of 737 delegate votes after taking responsibility for April defeat
By Reuters and ToI Staff
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, right, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu review a military honor guard on April 3, 2025, in Budapest, Hungary. (Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP)
April 24, 2026, 2:25 am
In Orban’s rule, some Israelis saw a model. Will he also be one in defeat?
Electoral loss of Hungarian strongman who Netanyahu called a ‘true friend’ comes months ahead of Israel’s fateful vote
By Deborah Danan
Peter Magyar, the leader of the opposition Tisza party, waves a national flag after a parliamentary election in Budapest, Hungary, on April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
April 16, 2026, 6:27 am
Hungary’s youth-led revolution is a wake-up call for Israel’s opposition
As Viktor Orban’s 16-year rule crumbles under economic collapse, Israelis in Budapest see a blueprint for change – but the path in Israel remains far more complex
By Shalom Yerushalmi
Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka in Jerusalem, April 14, 2026 (Lazar Berman/The Times of Israel)
April 15, 2026, 7:28 pm
After Hungary’s Orban loses, Czech FM says Prague will remain ‘advocate’ for Israel
Petr Macinka says he is reopening discussion of moving embassy to Jerusalem, no matter what EU thinks; says leftist anti-Israel feeling ‘almost a religion’ among many Europeans
By Lazar Berman
IMAGE: An IDF Merkava tank in southern Lebanon by the border with northern Israel on March 27, 2026 (Jalaa Marey/AFP)
April 14, 2026, 3:21 pm
Daily Briefing April 14 – Lebanon and Israel get talking, with shared goal to disarm Hezbollah
Tol editor David Horovitz discusses Holocaust Remembrance Day, Iranian negotiations, talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington, and a landslide victory for new Hungarian PM
By Jessica Steinberg and David Horovitz
Peter Magyar gestures as he speaks to the media in Budapest, Hungary, on April 13, 2026, after defeating Prime Minister Viktor Orban's party in the country's parliamentary elections. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)
April 13, 2026, 6:29 pm
Hungary’s PM-elect vows return to ICC, but stresses ‘special relationship’ with Israel
After defeating Orban, a close Netanyahu ally, Peter Magyar says he’ll reverse Budapest’s withdrawal from International Criminal Court, vows continued ‘zero tolerance’ for antisemitism
By ToI Staff and Agencies
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban (left) addresses supporters after receiving the preliminary results of a parliamentary election in Budapest, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek); Peter Magyar, the leader of the opposition Tisza party, addresses supporters after claiming victory in the parliamentary election in Budapest, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)
April 12, 2026, 11:53 pm
After 16 years in power, Hungary’s Orban concedes defeat to center-right opposition
Peter Magyar’s pro-EU Tisza party heads for sweeping win that could reshape European dynamics and weaken ties with Putin, Trump and Netanyahu
By Reuters and ToI Staff
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, left, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands after a press statement at the Carmelite Monastery in the Buda Castle in Budapest, Hungary, April 3, 2025. (AP/Denes Erdos)
April 12, 2026, 4:59 pm
Post-Orban Hungary will not expose Israel to more EU pain, though support may ebb
Longtime premier’s backing has helped blunt Europe’s ire, sparking concerns ahead of center-right rival’s win, but his replacement is unlikely to significantly curtail ties with Jerusalem
By Nava Freiberg
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban addresses supporters during the electoral campaign closing rally of the governing Fidesz party in Budapest, Hungary, April 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
April 12, 2026, 7:00 am
Hungarians vote in landmark election closely watched by EU, Russia, US, Israel
Orban, in power since 2010, faces voter discontent over stagnant economy; rival Magyar ahead in polls, but outcome up in the air; Israeli diplomat endorses Orban on X, then deletes post
By Reuters and ToI Staff
A handout picture provided by the office of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani shows Iran's First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri (C-L) and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (C) review the honour guard upon his arrival in Tehran on November 30, 2015. (AFP/ IRANIAN PRESIDENCY)
April 8, 2026, 11:56 pm
Report: Hungary offered Iran intel on Hezbollah pager attack by Israel
Transcript of call two weeks after 2024 operation in Lebanon prompts concern among Western officials over Budapest’s ties to Islamic Republic, despite outward pro-Israel stance
By ToI Staff
US President Donald Trump (right) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands during a joint press conference at the Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, December 29, 2025. (Jim WATSON / AFP)
January 19, 2026, 5:03 pm
Netanyahu invited to Trump’s Gaza Board of Peace alongside European, Mideast leaders
Putin invited, wants to ‘clarify all the nuances’; Kremlin allies Belarus, Kazakhstan also offered spots; Hungary’s Orban says he accepted invite; UK, Germany, mulling involvement
By Lazar Berman, ToI Staff and Agencies
Hungary's European Union Affairs Minister János Bóka speaks with The Times of Israel, October 30, 2025 (Courtesy Patricia Bodnar).
November 4, 2025, 5:49 pm
Defending Israel in EU, Hungarian minister says bloc risks being boxed out of Mideast
Critics of Israel intentionally using language that borders on antisemitism, charges János Bóka, who also serves as antisemitism czar for one of Jerusalem’s closest allies in Europe
By Lazar Berman
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar speaks at Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, on October 27, 2025. (Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP)
October 27, 2025, 6:22 pm
Sa’ar insists PA still paying terrorists in ‘pay-for-slay’ policy, despite promises
Foreign minister disputes Ramallah’s claim it abolished stipends to terrorists’ families, but doesn’t provide proof; says Israel won’t accept Turkish troops in Gaza
By Nava Freiberg
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, left, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands after a press statement at the Carmelite Monastery in the Buda Castle in Budapest, Hungary, April 3, 2025. (AP/Denes Erdos)
July 25, 2025, 2:36 pm
ICC refers Hungary to oversight body for not arresting Netanyahu during state visit
As Israeli leader visited in April, Hungarian PM Orban called Budapest’s commitment to International Criminal Court ‘half-hearted,’ and began the process of leaving it
By AP
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