00:00Hungary just announced today it is
00:02withdrawing out of the International
00:04Criminal Court. This all comes right
00:06before it hosted Israel's Prime Minister
00:09Benjamin Netanyahu. The ICC had issued an
00:13arrest warrant for Netanyahu over
00:15alleged war crimes in Gaza. As a member
00:19of the court, Hungary should enforce it
00:22but Budapest says no chance. The
00:24government points out to a legal loophole.
00:27Hungary signed the ICC treaty in 2001
00:30but never made it part of its national
00:33law. So according to Prime Minister
00:36Viktor Orban there is no way to act on
00:38the warrant. Now legal experts disagree
00:41saying that war crimes fall under
00:44international law which Hungary must
00:46recognize. Orban meanwhile says he knows
00:49the ICC rules, that he was Prime
00:52Minister when Hungary joined the ICC but
00:55for now his government is walking away.
00:57Now parliament, Hungarian parliament
00:59controlled by his party will vote to
01:01make it official. This move could deepen
01:04Hungary's rift with the EU which backs
01:07the ICC. It may also shake its ties with
01:11China, a major economic partner that
01:14supports a two-state solution and has
01:16condemned the war in Gaza. Still Hungary
01:19appears set on strengthening its ties
01:22with Israel. For now Hungary stays firm,
01:25no arrests, no cooperation and soon no
01:30ICC.
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