Israel's Netanyahu ends Hungary visit, heads to US

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has left Budapest to head to the US to talk tariffs and Iran with President Donald Trump after wrapping up a multi-day-visit to Hungary.

Nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban hosted his long-standing Israeli ally in Hungary this week, despite an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant.

Mr Netanyahu's visit came as Hungary announced its withdrawal from the tribunal.

"I have just concluded a very important visit to Hungary," Mr Netanyahu said in a statement adding that cooperation in the production of munitions among other issues was discussed.

Mr Netanyahu is headed straight to the United States, where he is set to discuss tariffs, Iran and the ICC, among other thorny issues with President Trump tomorrow.

The Israeli leader arrived in the Hungarian capital early on Thursday.

Both Mr Orban and Mr Netanyahu slammed the ICC at a joint press conference, with the Israeli premier expressing hope that Hungary "would not be the last state" to exit the "corrupt organisation".

The ICC last year issued an arrest warrant for Mr Netanyahu over allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes - including starvation as a method of warfare - in Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

The war was sparked by the militant Palestinian group's attack against Israel on 7 October 2023.

Mr Orban defended the government's decision not to execute the ICC warrant against Mr Netanyahu in his weekly radio interview, saying that it is "not customary to arrest guests" in Hungary and there was no will to do so since Israel is regarded as a "friend".

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock criticised the decision, calling it a "bad day" for international criminal law.

But Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said he did not think his country or any other European state would have arrested the Israeli leader. The visit to Hungary marked Mr Netanyahu's first trip to Europe since 2023.

During his four-day visit, Mr Netanyahu met Jewish community leaders, visited a Holocaust memorial on the bank of the Danube river and was awarded an honorary degree from a university.

Hungarian police said yesterday it had detained two Frenchmen on suspicion of hooliganism and vandalism after they allegedly tore down and damaged Israeli flags at the Szechenyi chain bridge.

Mr Netanyahu and Mr Orban also had a call with Mr Trump about Hungary's decision to exit the ICC.

Israel had attempted to duck the US tariffs imposed on nearly every country by moving preemptively Tuesday - a day before Mr Trump's big global tariff announcement - to drop all remaining duties on the one percent of American goods still affected by them.

But Mr Trump moved ahead with the tariffs, saying the United States had a significant trade deficit with its Middle East ally and top beneficiary of military aid.