Netanyahu in Hungary, isolated from the world

Benjamin Netanyahu appeared proud as he received a warm welcome from his closest European ally, Viktor Orban. However, the visit clearly underscored the complex crises facing the Israeli prime minister, who faces legal prosecutions, political challenges, and unrest in the streets.

Ironically, the spectacular gain Netanyahu is trying to achieve through this visit is itself a clear indication that the entire world has decided to consolidate his isolation. Today, the most notorious war criminal has not found a single European capital willing to host him since he became wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his involvement in the genocide of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu should be proud of his visit to Budapest, a country that stands out from the European fold, and whose prime minister continually irritates the continent’s capitals on a number of issues. Moreover, Orban has adopted many approaches that effectively place him at the forefront of the European far-right.

Netanyahu’s visit highlighted the extent of the isolation of the most prominent Israeli official on the international stage. His time of frequent foreign tours has ended and this time he must remain with his wife, Sara, in Hungary, almost closed off to themselves, for four full days, leaving behind intractable crises in war, politics and the judiciary.

Hungary says it is withdrawing from ICC during Netanyahu’s visits

And because courting war criminals has its price, this provocative visit has forced Hungary to renounce its obligations to the ICC and defy the world community and its conventions. By hosting Netanyahu, Hungary has adopted a position as if it was a campaign that promotes the arrogance that is perhaps consistent with a slogan such as “partners in support of genocide!”

Hungary has become the target of scathing objections from global civil society and prominent human rights organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW). Protesters have also marched to several Hungarian embassies to express their anger at the failure to expedite the ICC arrest warrant for the war criminal.

It’s no surprise that this comes from the controversial Hungarian leadership, known for its sweeping bias toward the Israeli occupation in all forums, as evidenced by Hungary’s voting behaviour in European and international bodies. Hungarian delegates at European meetings act as if they represent the Israeli lobby in Europe. They have even obstructed numerous resolutions and statements unfavourable to the Israeli government and settlement organisations, hindering the prospects for a common European position to mature. Thus, it took nearly half a year of delays and procrastination for the European Union to issue a statement supporting a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip (March 2024).

Israeli diplomacy did not benefit from Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the Hungarian capital, as it primarily serves Netanyahu’s posturing within a divided country. It is noteworthy that Netanyahu and Orban share distinct characteristics. Both govern with an authoritarian style that provokes audible criticism and loud objections. Each also has very close ties with another leader who leads a sweeping authoritarian approach: the occupant of the White House, who has the world holding its breath whenever he appears before the cameras. All three boast of effectively subverting international law and ushering in a new era in which there is no room for common human values.

Israel’s love-in with Hungary’s anti-Semites exposes the ugly core of Zionism 

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