Orban exits ICC, greets ally

Hungary on Thursday said it will quit the International Criminal Court (ICC), just as its Prime Minister Viktor Orban hosted Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, whom the tribunal has accused of war crimes in Gaza.

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Hungary's announcement that it will start the year-long withdrawal process came as Mr Orban welcomed Mr Netanyahu in Budapest on the Israeli leader's first trip to Europe since 2023.

Mr Netanyahu, who faces an ICC arrest warrant that Hungary said it would not carry out, welcomed his hosts' "bold and principled" decision to leave the tribunal, calling it a "corrupt organisation".

Set up in 2002, the ICC, based in The Hague, seeks to prosecute individuals responsible for the world's gravest crimes when countries are unwilling or unable to do so themselves.

The ICC governing body voiced regret and concern over Hungary's announcement, saying any departure harmed a “shared quest for justice”.