ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to visit Hungary this week, despite an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Netanyahu’s trip, announced on Sunday by his office, comes at the invitation of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The visit, scheduled from Wednesday to Sunday, comes as Orban has dismissed the warrant when it was announced in November.
Orban, a right-wing nationalist leader often at odds with the European Union over democratic norms, has made clear that Hungary will not enforce the ICC’s decision.
According to The Times of Israel, Netanyahu will use his visit to Hungary this week to push for Hungarian support for Trump’s plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza.
“Netanyahu is trying to build a coalition of as many countries as possible backing Trump’s plan for Gaza,” the source told the paper.
Trump unveiled his vision for Gaza in February, to ethnically cleanse the territory of Palestinians and turn it into a Mediterranean resort.
Hungary has not publicly commented on Trump’s proposal, but Netanyahu’s visit suggests he is seeking to rally international backing for the controversial plan.
While Hungary, as an EU member, is obligated to comply with ICC rulings, there has been no official response from Budapest regarding the upcoming visit.
This will be Netanyahu’s second foreign trip since the ICC issued warrants for him and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
In February, Netanyahu travelled to Washington to meet United States President Donald Trump.
Israel has rejected the charges against its leaders, calling them “false and absurd”. The ICC has also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri.
