Peter Magyar Invites Netanyahu to Hungary Despite ICC Warrant

Peter Magyar, Hungary’s Prime Minister-elect, has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Budapest.

NaijaChoice News reports that the two leaders held a warm telephone conversation today, during which Magyar made clear his desire to sustain strong ties between Hungary and Israel. The move comes barely days after Magyar’s opposition swept to power in a stunning general election victory that ended Viktor Orbán’s 16-year dominance.

Magyar’s outreach mirrors the pro-Israel position of his predecessor even as he promises to bring Hungary closer to mainstream European Union policies, especially on supporting Ukraine against Russia.

Netanyahu’s office confirmed the call and said Magyar specifically asked the Israeli leader to attend a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising against Soviet control.

In return, Netanyahu invited Magyar to Jerusalem and announced that the foreign ministers of both countries would meet soon.

The Israeli statement quoted Netanyahu expressing confidence that the warm relations built under Orbán would continue under the incoming administration.

Orbán had hosted Netanyahu in April last year despite the International Criminal Court arrest warrant against the Israeli premier for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Hungary, as an ICC member, was legally required to detain him but Orbán instead threatened to pull the country out of the court.

Magyar is expected to be formally sworn in as prime minister when parliament reconvenes early next month.

The development highlights how bilateral friendships can sometimes override international legal obligations, a tension watched closely in Nigeria and other African ICC member states where questions of sovereignty and global justice often arise.