Hungary's parliament has voted overwhelmingly to cancel the country's withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), as its new pro-EU government dismantles key policies introduced under longtime nationalist leader Viktor Orban.
Issued on: 28/05/2026 - 13:23
2 min Reading time
Orban announced Hungary's withdrawal last year, decrying the tribunal as a "political court". It came during a state visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close Orban ally and the subject of an ICC arrest warrant over Israel's war in Gaza. Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who won a landslide electoral victory in April, vowed he would reverse the exit process before it took effect on 2 June. After fast-tracking a bill to repeal the legislation taking Hungary out of the ICC, he secured parliament's approval on Wednesday, with MPs voting by 133 to 37 to stay a member of the court. Magyar has already indicated that Hungary remains committed to executing ICC warrants – including against Netanyahu, who has already accepted an invitation to visit Hungary later this year. France points to Netanyahu immunity from ICC war crimes warrant
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, right, at Buda Castle in Budapest, Hungary, during a state visit on 3 April 2025. © Denes Erdos / AP
