The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has formally asked the Hungarian government to explain why it declined to act on the ICC’s arrest warrant for Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu during his recent trip to Budapest.
The inquiry was submitted under Article 87(7) of the Rome Statute, which empowers the court to pursue action against countries that obstruct its ability to carry out its judicial responsibilities, stating such actions “prevent the court from exercising its functions and powers under the Statute.”
Back in November, the ICC issued warrants for Netanyahu and then-defense minister Yoav Gallant, accusing both of targeting civilians in Gaza and of deliberately restricting humanitarian aid as a weapon of war in the course of Israel’s conflict with the Hamas terrorist organization.
The court asserts that Hungary breached its legal commitments by declining to arrest Netanyahu, despite receiving a formal request from the ICC on April 3—the same day Netanyahu arrived in Budapest.
Just ahead of his meeting with Netanyahu, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban declared that his country would begin the process of leaving the ICC.
The court has given Hungary until May 23 to submit its official explanation.
{Matzav.com}