ICC denounces Netanyahu's Hungary visit as breach of Rome Statute

Fadi El-Abdallah, the spokesperson of the International Criminal Court, denounced on Wednesday the planned visit by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Hungary, despite the court's arrest warrant against him.

In a statement to Middle East Eye, he said Hungary’s non-compliance with the court’s decision to arrest and surrender Netanyahu to The Hague contradicts the Rome Statute and the EU nation's obligations as a member state of the ICC's founding treaty. 

“This is not only a legal obligation to the Court under the Rome Statute, it is also a responsibility towards other States parties,” he told MEE. 

“When States have concerns in cooperating with the Court, they may consult the Court in a timely and efficient manner,” El-Abdallah explained. “However, it is not for States to unilaterally determine the soundness of the Court’s legal decisions.” 

According to article 119 of the Rome Statute,  “any dispute concerning the judicial functions of the Court shall be settled by the decision of the Court.”