Lawmakers approved Hungary’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC) on May 20 with 134 votes in favour and 37 against. The Orban government has become the first EU country to leave the Hague-based institution, further deepening its isolation within the bloc.

Hungary signed the ICC's Rome Statute in 1999, and while the Hungarian parliament confirmed the document in 2001, it was not promulgated into Hungarian law.

Radio Free Europe (RFE) reported that Viktor Orban had considered pulling Hungary out of the International Criminal Court (ICC) after its prosecutor requested an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in May 2024 for war crimes over Israel’s military actions in Gaza.

Two months later, he instructed three of his ministers to examine the legal and diplomatic implications of the move. Then Orban accused the court of "politically interfering in an ongoing conflict" and said the warrant against Netanyahu undermined international law. He declared Hungary would defy the court’s decision and invited Netanyahu to visit, promising the Israeli leader would not face arrest.

The government argued that since Parliament had never formally incorporated the ICC’s statute into domestic law, it has no legal obligation to comply with its warrants.

According to RFE, the Orban government saw Donald Trump's February 2025 declaration to sanction the ICC as a green light to proceed with the exit, announced on April 3, which coincided with the start of a four-day official visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Budapest.

The Israeli prime minister, who received a military honour, praised Hungary's "remarkable" support for Israel and the global Jewish community during a joint press conference in Budapest, while calling the planned exit from the ICC a "bold and principled step". Netanyahu said the two countries were "fighting a similar battle" to preserve Western, Judeo-Christian values, and described Hungary under Viktor Orban's leadership as a staunch ally in international forums such as the EU and UN.

Over the years, the two leaders developed cordial ties thanks in part to their same ideologies. Both portray themselves as defenders of their respective nations' identities against what they frame as liberal globalist influences. 

Hungary has also consistently backed Israel in international forums, often breaking with the EU’s common foreign policy. Budapest has abstained or opposed UN resolutions critical of Israel, and blocked several EU statements condemning Israeli settlement expansion or actions in Gaza.