A “corrupt” International Criminal Court, expanding defense production and combating antisemitism were the chief topics on the agenda during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Hungary, JNS learned from a senior diplomatic source on Friday.
Netanyahu arrived on Thursday for a four-day visit. He will depart on Sunday.
Headlining his trip was the announcement by Hungary that it would quit the ICC. The process will take one year.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Thursday that the ICC is “no longer an impartial court, not a court of law, but a political court.”
The two leaders discussed the importance of convincing other states to join Hungary in withdrawing from the court, the high-level source told JNS.
“This is a major struggle against a body that endangers our soldiers, our citizens, everyone,” he said.
Following Hungary’s announcement, Netanyahu and Orbán held a call with U.S. President Donald Trump, who imposed sanctions on the ICC in February, to discuss the next steps to be taken against the court.
In November, the ICC issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu and his then-defense chief Yoav Gallant for alleged crimes against humanity.
(The source said that the ICC’s Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan was driven by base motives, hoping to save himself from accusations of sexual misconduct. On Thursday, Reuters reported that Khan is also being investigated for retaliating against the whistleblowers.)
As a member state of the ICC, Hungary is obliged to enforce the court’s warrants. Instead, Orbán welcomed the Israeli prime minister in grand style, starting with a lavish ceremony at Buda Castle, which included a brass band and color guard with cavalry.
Orbán later hosted Netanyahu at a state dinner. On Friday, the prime minister received an honorary degree from Budapest’s Ludovika University of Public Service.
The visit appears to be having the desired effect of breaking the court’s authority. Acting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Friday that he “cannot imagine” a scenario in which Netanyahu would be arrested in the Federal Republic.
Belgium Prime Minister Bart De Wever said his country wouldn’t arrest Netanyahu. “I don’t think there is any European country that would arrest Netanyahu,” he said. “There is such a thing as realpolitik.”
Another issue concerned defense, specifically how to significantly increase the production of standard ammunition such as 120mm tank shells and 155mm artillery rounds, the source said.
“We’re negotiating with different countries on how to expand this. One major obstacle is, of course, global demand,” he said. “Everyone is pursuing this and we’re looking for the countries that can increase our exports.”
Israel found its domestic production lines pushed to the limit to meet the pressure for resupply brought on by the Gaza war, a problem compounded by an unofficial partial arms embargo imposed on it by the previous U.S. administration, the source said.
The Biden administration was at first fully supportive of Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack, but as international pressure grew against the Jewish state, and facing a tough election year, the White House redirected its pressure away from Hamas and onto Israel, the source said.
Even as the Biden White House slow-walked arms it had promised, it denied there was any official policy or deliberate delay in delivering weapons to Israel.
Last June, Netanyahu went public with his criticism of the previous administration, saying it was “inconceivable” the U.S. was holding back crucial arms from its “closest ally.”
U.S. President Donald Trump lifted the restrictions shortly after taking office in January.
Orbán and Netanyahu also discussed fighting rising antisemitism in Europe. Orbán has taken a leading role against the phenomenon on the continent.
During a press conference with Netanyahu on Thursday, Orbán said the Hungarian Jewish community is the safest in Europe. “Hungary has zero tolerance for antisemitism,” he said.
In July 2024, the European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency reported that antisemitism in Europe had grown even before surging following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
In a survey of Jews in 13 E.U. countries conducted in the first half of 2023, the group found that 96% of respondents said that they had experienced antisemitism.
Orbán blames illegal immigration for the rising antisemitism in Western countries. The Hungarian leader has instituted a firm border policy, rejecting E.U. demands that his country allow in so-called asylum seekers.
Orbán thinks Western countries are committing suicide by letting in so many illegal migrants, who often come from countries with deep-seated antisemitic attitudes, the source said.
Hungary also helps counter antisemitism outside of Europe thanks to its observer membership status and influence in the Organization of Turkic States, known popularly as the Turkic Council, which includes Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkey, the source said.