Netanyahu to step on favourable European soil after ICC arrest warrant

Tel Aviv: Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit Hungary on Thursday, which will be his first time on European soil after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against him. The visit by Netanyahu, who has been accused of war crimes in Gaza, is expected to span four days, The Guardian reported.

It was in November that the ICC announced arrest warrants against Netanyahu over his brutal treatment and war crimes against the Palestinian people. Hours after the ICC’s move, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that his government would defy the court and host Netanyahu. He told reporters then that he would “guarantee” the ICC’s ruling would “have no effect in Hungary”. This is despite Hungary being a signatory of the ICC since the court was launched more than two decades ago and has signed the requirement to arrest and hand over anyone facing a court warrant if they set foot in the country.

Recently, there have been reports that Orbán’s government might withdraw from the court.

Netanyahu’s visit comes after he announced that Israel is “seizing territory” and intends to “divide up” the Gaza Strip. Two weeks ago, Israel had ended a fragile ceasefire brought to the war-torn enclave with heavy bombardment and deployment of troops.

The Trump administration in the US, which is not a member of the ICC, had signed an executive order to impose sanctions on the ICC over its investigation into Israel’s war crimes in Gaza.

The Israeli military has ordered civilians in multiple areas of the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate immediately, citing intercepted rocket fire from Palestinian territory.

Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued an urgent warning on Wednesday, advising residents to "move immediately west to the shelters in Gaza City." He alleged that "terrorist organisations" were launching attacks "from among civilians".