The Israeli PM is visiting Budapest despite an arrest warrant issued against him by The Hague-based court

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has said Hungary is obligated to cooperate with an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after the Israeli leader arrived for a visit to Budapest on Thursday.

The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November, over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to Israel's ongoing military operation in Gaza. Netanyahu traveled on Thursday to Hungary, which had earlier insisted it would not detain the Israeli leader.

Budapest also announced on Thursday that it was starting the official procedure of withdrawing from the ICC. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban explained the move by claiming that The Hague-based court had turned into a "political tool" in recent years.

Speaking about Netanyahu's visit to Budapest later in the day, ICC spokesman Fadi El Abdallah said "the court recalls that Hungary remains under a duty to cooperate with the ICC."

Reuters earlier reported that it would likely take Hungary at least a year to fully withdraw from the ICC. Budapest signed the Rome Statute, which gives the ICC its powers, in 1999 and ratified it two years later.

The ICC's jurisdiction is currently recognized by 123 countries, but the court does not have its own police force and relies on member-states to detain and transfer suspects.

Orban invited Netanyahu to visit Hungary a day after The Hague-based court issued an arrest warrant against him, saying that he would "guarantee him that if he comes, the ICC ruling will have no effect in Hungary, and we will not follow its contents."

During a joint press-conference with his Hungarian counterpart on Thursday, Netanyahu praised Budapest's "bold and principled" decision to pull out from the court.

Netanyahu insisted that it is "important to stand up to this corrupt organization," expressing confidence that Budapest will not be the last capital to abandon the ICC.

Last month, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) resumed airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza as talks with Palestinian armed group Hamas over the release of the remaining hostages and implementation of a truce collapsed.

READ MORE: Netanyahu defies ICC with Budapest visit (PHOTOS)

According to the latest data from Gaza's Health Ministry, at least 50,523 Palestinians have been killed and 114,638 others wounded inside the enclave since the IDF began its attacks on Gaza in response to a deadly incursion by Hamas into Israel on October 7, 2023.

(RT.com)