Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Friday denounced the International Criminal Court’s issuing of an arrest warrant   for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He maintained that the ICC was “interfering in an ongoing conflict for political purposes” and that he would defy it by inviting the Israeli leader to Hungary.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Orbán said that the ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu is “brazen, cynical and completely unacceptable.” Orbán said he invited Netanyahu to visit Hungary with a guarantee of freedom and safety. In the video statement, he continued:

I would say cynical decision that is fundamentally wrong that is discrediting of international law. But it can also add fuel to the flames. Therefore, there is no other option but to oppose the decision. For this reason, later today I will extend an invitation to the Israeli Prime Minister Mr Netanyahu to visit Hungary.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations has also called on countries to boycott the decision of the International Criminal Court, calling it the “pinnacle of diplomatic terrorism that gives impetus to the barbarism and violence of the extremist terrorist organizations.” This comes as Netanyahu said the arrest warrant was issued by the ICC Prosecutor to detract from the investigations into allegations of sexual misconduct, calling it a “modern-day Dreyfus trial,” referring to a French Jewish officer who was falsely accused and convicted of treason in the 1890s.

According to Article 86 of the Rome Statute of the ICC, Hungary’s selective application of justice potentially violates its obligation to cooperate with the court in its investigation and prosecution.

Relatedly in October, the ICC also referred Mongolia to the Assembly of State Parties for its non-compliance with the ICC’s request to arrest and surrender Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit.