Will Hungary withdraw from ICC amid Netanyahu visit?

"Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to embark on a four-day visit to Hungary starting Thursday, in spite of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) alleging war crimes in Gaza.

Under the obligations of the Rome Statute, all 125 states parties, including every EU member, are legally bound to arrest and surrender individuals subject to an ICC warrant, such as Netanyahu.

"As a member of the ICC, Hungary must arrest Netanyahu when he is in Hungary,” stated Margaret Satterthwaite, the UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, in comments to Middle East Eye (MEE).

However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has made it clear that Hungary will not comply with the ICC's ruling, having extended the invitation for Netanyahu’s visit without regard for the warrant.

- Will Hungary withdraw from the ICC? -

Reports circulating among "Israeli" and Hungarian news outlets speculate that Hungary will announce its decision to withdraw from the ICC during Netanyahu's visit.

Hungary is a founding member of the ICC and one of the first countries to ratify the Rome Statute in 2002. If Hungary withdraws, the country would be the first EU country to exit the treaty.