Orbán with Netanyahu: Hungary is an island of freedom

Hungary, a self-respecting democratic state governed by the rule of law, cannot participate in a politically tainted international court, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said in connection with the government’s decision to quit the International Criminal Court.

Netanyahu applauded Orbán

Speaking at a joint press conference on Thursday held with Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu in Budapest, Orbán said the ICC had become “a political court” in recent years and the body was “no longer an impartial, rules-based court”. This, he added was clearly demonstrated by the ICC’s decisions concerning Israel.

At the press conference, Netanyahu applauded Orbán’s remarks. “It is my conviction that this otherwise crucial international judicial forum has been degraded into a political tool,” Orban said, adding that Hungary would not have “any community” with the ICC in the coming period. Orbán said the foreign minister will submit a bill to parliament on Hungary’s withdrawal from the ICC later in the day.

ICC withdrawal

Orbán noted that he was the prime minister who signed the document cementing Hungary’s membership in the ICC in 2000, and he was now the one who signed the document on Hungary’s withdrawal from the court. Meanehile, the prime minister said Hungary enforces zero tolerance against anti-Semitism with every means possible and protects all of its citizens. He noted that he and Netanyahu last met in Budapest eight years ago and he last visited Israel in 2021. He said the world had gone through “huge changes” since then, with global security facing “serious threats”, as evidenced by the 2023 terrorist attack against Israel.

Orbán said the “cruel and serious attack” that had “aimed to crush Israel’s sovereignty” had had a high impact on the entire world, including Hungary. Hungary, Orbán said, had made it clear that it stands by Israel’s sovereignty, its right to self-defence and the security of the Israeli people, noting that it has represented this position on the world political stage ever since. He wished the Israeli government success in guaranteeing the security of its people and enforcing its right to defend itself.

Orbán: Hungary, an island of freedom

Orbán said Hungary had also undergone changes recently, “mainly when it comes to the European Union”. Hungary in recent years had been “an island of freedom, the resolute guardian and standard-bearer of Judeo-Christian civilisation in Europe”. Hungary, he noted, is home to Europe’s third largest Jewish community, adding he was certain that Hungary was the safest place in Europe for Jewish people today.

He said anti-Semitism had reached “unprecedented levels” in western Europe over the past decade, adding that “Hamas flags have never been waved in Hungary and never will be.”

“In this country … there is zero tolerance for anti-Semitism, and that is something we enforce with every means possible,” the prime minister said. “We protect all of our citizens and devote special attention to groups that are highly vulnerable, and the Jewish community is now highly vulnerable everywhere in the world.”

Anti-Semitism

Anti-Semitism is being imported into western Europe as illegal migration amplifies its spread, Orbán said. “The elite in Brussels cannot and does not want to curb illegal migration but wants to manage it instead,” he said. Hungary will not accept any kind of migration or the implementation in the country of any European migration agreement, as this would jeopardise the security of all citizens living here, Orbán said.

He said Hungary had an interest, coinciding with its national values, in Israel remaining a stable and safe country, adding that “a stable Israel is key to stability in the Middle East.”

Meanwhile, Orbán noted that Israel is a major investor in Hungary, adding that cooperation between Hungarian and Israeli businesses was strong. He voiced hope that that cooperation would continue, adding that Hungary would continue maintaining defence industry cooperation with Israel. He noted that Hungary has integrated a considerable amount of technology purchased from Israel into its defence systems.

Economy

Orbán said there are 150 Israeli companies present in Hungary, employing thousands of people, adding that these were valuable investments in Hungary’s pharmaceuticals and hi-tech sectors.

He welcomed that Israel has never imposed any barriers to Hungarian exports.

The prime minister thanked Israel for its support for the Hungarian Jewish community. Noting the hardship Hungarian Jews have endured throughout history, he said they felt at home in Hungary and could also consider themselves a valuable community, “just as we consider Hungary’s Jewish community a valuable community”.

Orbán said Netanyahu’s visit was not only important from a political point of view but was also “an important personal, spiritual visit with a civilisational purpose”. He said Israel could continue to count on Hungary in the future as “a European bastion of Judeo-Christian culture that is impenetrable to our opponents”.

Israel, Hungary ‘fighting a similar battle’

Israel and Hungary are “fighting a similar battle” for the future of their common Judeo-Christian, Western civilisation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest on Thursday.

Netanyahu said this civilisation was currently under assault by radical Islam, spearheaded by Iran as a “pulsating engine”. “We will smash the Iranian terror axis, which threatens not only us, but Europe,” Netanyahu said, adding that the Hungarian Prime Minister understood that this was “a common battle for our values, our interests and for our common security”.

• Here’s why neither Netanyahu nor Putin will be arrested in Hungary

‘Hungary has done remarkable things for Israel, Jewish people’

Under Viktor Orbán’s leadership, Hungary has done “remarkable things for Israel and the Jewish people”, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a joint press conference with his Hungarian counterpart in Budapest on Thursday, praising Hungary’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court in particular. Netanyahu said Hungary supported and stood up for Israel “proudly and unstintingly” in the European Union and the United Nations while taking a “bold and principled step” regarding the ICC.

• HERE is our full article about the withdrawal announcement made by Minister Gulyás

“Thank you very much, Viktor, this is important not only to us but to all democracies,” the Israeli prime minister said. Speaking on the ICC, he added that it was especially important to stand up to “this corrupt organisation”, which threatened democracy. He said terrorism threatened democracy and the ICC directed its actions against Israel, rather than its “tormentors,” he said.

Netanyahu also spoke about Hungary’s very bold stance against anti-Semitism, which had reared its head in Europe. “You do not allow it, you do not tolerate it, and you recognise that anti-Semitism today is masked by the guys of anti-Zionism,” he said. He praised Hungary for treating the Jewish community in an exemplary manner, not only providing them with security but also the opportunity to live Jewish life in the best possible way.

President Sulyok meets Netanyahu

President Tamás Sulyok met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the presidential Sándor Palace on Thursday. At their meeting, Sulyok and Netanyahu reviewed the status of bilateral relations, future opportunities and current international challenges, the Sándor Palace said in a statement. The two leaders were in agreement that they shared the same views on issues concerning security, national sovereignty and national identity.

Sulyok said he was convinced that a strong Israel was essential not just for the security of the Middle East but also for that of Europe, the protection of Europe’s Jewish community and the fight against anti-Semitism. The president noted that Hungary condemns anti-Semitism and enforces zero tolerance against all forms of anti-Semitism. He underscored the importance of ensuring that Hungary’s Jewish community feel safe in the country, adding that Hungary condemned all forms of terrorism.

Netanyahu expressed his gratitude for Hungary’s support. The Israeli prime minister’s official visit to Hungary comes after a visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog in February.

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