Human Rights Watch Urges Hungary to Arrest Benjamin Netanyahu During Upcoming March 2026 Visit Amid International Criminal Court Obligations

The international human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a formal call on Hungarian authorities to fulfill their international legal obligations by arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he enter the country later this month. Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to arrive in Budapest on March 21, 2026, to deliver a keynote address at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Hungary. This high-profile visit, confirmed by official sources, is set to take place just weeks before Hungary’s pivotal national elections, scheduled for April 12, 2026.

The demand for Netanyahu’s arrest stems from an outstanding warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on November 21, 2024. The warrant names both Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, alleging the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity within the Gaza Strip. Despite the passage of over a year since the warrant’s issuance, both men remain fugitives from international justice. As a signatory to the Rome Statute, Hungary remains legally bound to execute ICC warrants, a responsibility that Human Rights Watch asserts must be upheld regardless of the political ties between Budapest and Jerusalem.

The Legal Mandate of the International Criminal Court

The ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I issued the arrest warrants following a rigorous assessment of evidence suggesting that Israeli leadership oversaw a systematic campaign in Gaza that resulted in civilian starvation as a method of warfare, as well as murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts. These allegations cover the period starting from at least October 8, 2023, following the escalation of hostilities in the region.

Under the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC, all member states are required to cooperate fully with the court. This includes the apprehension and surrender of individuals for whom warrants have been issued. Alice Autin, an international justice researcher at Human Rights Watch, emphasized that Hungary’s current membership status leaves no room for legal ambiguity. "Despite its move to leave the ICC, Hungary is still a member country and is still obligated to arrest and surrender individuals wanted by the court," Autin stated. She warned that failing to act would "further entrench impunity for serious crimes in Palestine and once again betray victims who have been denied justice for far too long."

A Pattern of Non-Compliance and the Withdrawal Process

The upcoming March visit is not the first time the Hungarian government under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has faced scrutiny regarding its relationship with the ICC and Prime Minister Netanyahu. In April 2025, Netanyahu conducted a similar visit to Budapest. Despite the active ICC warrant at the time, Hungarian authorities provided the Israeli leader with a full diplomatic welcome and declined to take him into custody.

This failure to cooperate led to a formal rebuke from the ICC. In July 2025, ICC judges issued a finding that Hungary had breached its treaty obligations. This finding was subsequently referred to the Assembly of States Parties, the ICC’s oversight and legislative body. While the Assembly noted the judicial finding during its December 2025 session, it stopped short of imposing punitive measures, a hesitation that HRW argues has emboldened the Orbán administration to continue its defiance of international law.

In response to the international legal pressure following the April 2025 visit, Prime Minister Orbán announced his government’s intention to withdraw Hungary from the Rome Statute. On June 2, 2025, Hungary formally notified the United Nations Secretary-General of its withdrawal. However, according to Article 127 of the Rome Statute, a withdrawal only takes effect one year after the date of notification. Consequently, Hungary remains a full member of the ICC until June 2, 2026. Legal experts and civil society organizations, including Hungarian international lawyers, have condemned the withdrawal as a "blatant disregard for international law" intended to shield political allies from accountability.

Escalating Regional Conflict and Humanitarian Concerns

The context of Netanyahu’s planned visit is further complicated by a significant escalation in Middle Eastern hostilities. As of March 2026, the region is embroiled in a multi-front conflict involving thousands of airstrikes between Israel and Iran. This cycle of violence has expanded to include strikes on Gulf states and a massive military escalation in Lebanon.

In early March 2026, the Israeli military ordered the immediate evacuation of vast sectors of southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut. Human Rights Watch has characterized these orders as raising a "real likelihood" of the war crime of forced displacement. Furthermore, reports have surfaced regarding the unlawful use of white phosphorus in civilian areas and attacks on educational institutions, which HRW insists must be investigated as war crimes.

In Gaza, the humanitarian situation remains catastrophic. Since late 2023, Israeli forces have been accused of maintaining a blockade that restricts the entry of essential aid, including food, water, and medicine. Human Rights Watch has documented what it describes as acts of genocide and the systematic use of starvation as a weapon. The organization argues that the ongoing nature of these alleged crimes makes the enforcement of ICC warrants more urgent than ever to prevent further loss of civilian life.

The Political Relationship Between Orbán and Netanyahu

The alliance between Viktor Orbán and Benjamin Netanyahu is rooted in a shared "illiberal" political philosophy and a mutual skepticism of international oversight bodies. Orbán has frequently utilized his parliamentary supermajority to reshape Hungary’s domestic landscape, often in ways that draw criticism from the European Union and human rights monitors.

Since 2010, the Orbán government has been accused of:

• Systematically undermining the independence of the Hungarian judiciary.
• Implementing restrictive laws that stifle independent media and civil society.
• Demonizing migrants and asylum seekers through state-sponsored campaigns.
• Enacting legislation that discriminates against the LGBT community.
• Utilizing "states of danger" to rule by decree, thereby bypassing parliamentary debate.

For Orbán, welcoming Netanyahu to CPAC Hungary serves as a domestic political signal of strength and defiance against "globalist" institutions like the ICC and the EU. For Netanyahu, the visit provides a rare international platform at a time when his travel options are increasingly limited by the threat of arrest in other ICC member states.

The Role of the European Union and Article 7

The European Union finds itself in a difficult position regarding Hungary’s repeated snubs of the ICC. While the EU has a clear legal framework supporting the court, it has struggled to find an effective mechanism to compel compliance from a member state.

In 2018, the European Parliament initiated a procedure under Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union, often referred to as the "nuclear option," which can lead to the suspension of a member state’s voting rights if there is a "clear risk of a serious breach" of EU values. However, the European Council, composed of the heads of state of EU members, has yet to take concrete action to move the procedure toward a final determination.

In May 2025, the European Commission stated it was "analyzing" Hungary’s withdrawal from the ICC in light of the "EU acquis"—the collective body of EU law. Despite this, there has been little evidence of progress in this assessment. Human Rights Watch is now urging EU leadership to incorporate Hungary’s defiance of ICC warrants and its withdrawal from the court into the ongoing Article 7 proceedings.

Analysis of Implications for International Justice

The refusal of a European nation to honor an ICC warrant represents a significant challenge to the architecture of international justice. If Netanyahu is allowed to visit Hungary without incident on March 21, it may signal to other nations that treaty obligations are optional, based on political expediency.

Human Rights Watch argues that the EU’s "silence and persistent inaction" risks sending a message of acquiescence. The organization suggests that if the visit proceeds, EU member states must, at a minimum, issue a collective and unambiguous condemnation of Hungary’s failure to cooperate. They also advocate for a formal infringement procedure against Hungary for violating the principle of "sincere cooperation" enshrined in EU law.

The stakes are high for both the ICC and the victims of the conflict in the Middle East. The ability of the court to function depends entirely on the willingness of its members to enforce its orders. As the March 21 date approaches, the international community’s gaze is fixed on Budapest, watching to see if the rule of law will prevail over political partnership.

"Orbán’s government is about to roll out the red carpet again for Netanyahu, when it is obligated to arrest him," Alice Autin concluded. The upcoming CPAC event will serve as a litmus test for the viability of international criminal law in an increasingly polarized global political climate. Regardless of the outcome, the visit is certain to deepen the rift between Hungary and its European partners while raising fundamental questions about the future of accountability for war crimes.