BUDAPEST: Hungary is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, citing its transformation into a purely "p...
BUDAPEST: Hungary is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, citing its transformation into a purely "political instrument," said Prime Minister Viktor Orban, speaking to reporters after talks with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu.
"The recent ICC decisions show that it has become a political instrument. The Hungarian minister of justice will hand over to the national parliament the paperwork on our termination of cooperation with the court. We are exiting the ICC," he said.
In 2000, Orban, who was prime minister at that time, signed documents on Hungary's accession to the ICC. Now he says the situation has changed, adding: "we have to sign exit documents." According to him, the court in The Hague today makes decisions that are politically motivated and biased. In particular, "this applies to decisions about Israel," Orban said.
Last November, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Palestine. Hungary immediately said it considered the verdict unacceptable and refused to comply with the court's orders. Budapest almost unconditionally supports the Jewish state in the fight against the radical Palestinian movement Hamas.
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