Viktor Orbán’s Shameful Embrace of Benjamin Netanyahu
Hungarian premier Viktor Orbán has invited Benjamin Netanyahu to Budapest, in defiance of the International Criminal Court arrest warrant. Their embrace shows how Europe’s far right increasingly identifies with Israel.

Benjamin Netanyahu and Viktor Orbán shake hands as they give a joint press conference at the parliament in Budapest, Hungary, on July 18, 2017. (Karoly Arvai / AFP via Getty Images)
This evening, Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to touch down in Budapest, at the invitation of Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán. The far-right leader invited his Israeli counterpart despite Netanyahu being formally accused of using starvation as a method of warfare and of committing crimes against humanity, including extermination.
This ought not to happen. As a member state of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Hungary is obliged to arrest Netanyahu upon his arrival in the country and surrender him to the court. However, Orbán and his government have made it abundantly clear that they will not comply with the ICC’s requirements. By hosting war criminal Netanyahu, the Hungarian government continues to demonstrate contempt for international law and human rights.
Orbán had already announced last November that he would invite Netanyahu, dismissing the ICC’s arrest warrants as “shameful” and “absurd.” Netanyahu’s visit — expected to last until Sunday — is his second international trip since the ICC issued arrest warrants, following the standing ovation he received in the US Congress for his crimes against humanity.