BRUSSELS, March 20, 2026 (WAFA) – Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday urged Hungary to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he visit the country.
HRW said that Hungarian authorities should arrest Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu if he enters Hungarian territory.
Citing an official source, HRW noted that Netanyahu is expected to travel to Hungary on March 21, 2026, to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference. The visit comes shortly before Hungary’s national elections, scheduled for April 12.
It recalled that on November 21, 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, alongside then-Israeli ‘Defense’ Minister Yoav Gallant, over crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip from at least October 8, 2023.
Considering that both Netanyahu and Gallant remain fugitives from justice before the ICC, HRW stressed that ICC member countries are required to arrest them if they enter their territory.
“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,” said Alice Autin, international justice researcher at Human Rights Watch.
“By flouting this obligation, for the second time in less than a year, Hungary would further entrench impunity for serious crimes in Palestine and once again betray victims who have been denied justice for far too long,” she added.
K.F.
