Hungary will withdraw itself from the International Criminal Court (ICC), an official said, as Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu visited the country in spite of a warrant for his arrest.

Gergely Gulyas, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff, made the announcement just as the Israeli prime minister landed in Budapest on Thursday.

As the two leaders exchanged greetings, Mr Gulyas said “the government will initiate the withdrawal procedure” for leaving the ICC – which could take a year or longer.

Later, Mr Orban said at a news conference that the ICC was “no longer an impartial court, not a court of law, but a political court”.

“I am convinced that this otherwise important international judicial forum has been degraded into a political tool, with which we cannot and do not want to engage,” he added.

Hungary, as a signatory to the ICC’s founding Rome Statute, is required to arrest any suspects facing a warrant if they set foot on their soil.

Warrants for the arrest of Mr Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant were issued by the ICC in November.

The two are accused of committing crimes against humanity and war crimes as a result of Israel’s war in Gaza from 8 October 2023 to at least 20 May last year.

They both deny the charges, and the Israeli prime minister called the accusations a “disgrace” and “antisemitic”.

Since Israel began its offensive in the Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said more than 50,000 Palestinians had been killed.

The war in Gaza began after Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages.

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Speaking in Hungary on Thursday, Mr Netanyahu thanked Mr Orban for a “bold and principled decision”, and added: “The ICC directs its actions against us fighting a just war with just means.”

ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah said the court “recalls that Hungary remains under a duty to cooperate” and arrest Mr Netanyahu.

Hamas said Hungary’s actions were an “immoral stance that shows collusion with a war criminal who is running away from justice”.

Hungary’s stance comes after Donald Trump – who Mr Orban is often described as a cheerleader for – sanctioned the ICC in early February, accusing it of “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel”.