Hungary's prime minister threatens: We will arrest Netanyahu and hand him over to the ICC

Hungarian Prime Minister-elect Peter Magyar said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be arrested if he enters the country, in compliance with an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, on charges of committing war crimes in Gaza.

In  remarks on Monday, April 20, 2026, Magyar indicated that he adopts a pro-EU  orientation and intends to reverse the decision of the previous government headed by Viktor Orbán, which withdrew from the International Criminal Court that is pursuing Netanyahu, a decision that was supposed to come into effect next June.

Magyar explained that he explicitly informed Netanyahu during a phone call that he intended to keep Hungary as a member of the court, stressing that "if a wanted person enters our country and we are members of the court, he should be taken into custody."

Last year, the Hungarian government withdrew from the ICC after a meeting between Orbán and Netanyahu.

International official: Israel has crossed red lines

The time has come to end the EU's partnership with Israel, said Yves Gedi, director of Amnesty International's European Institutions office, saying that Tel Aviv's recent policies in Palestine and Lebanon "crossed the red lines" set by the bloc.

The  international official's remarks came in an interview with Anadolu Agency ahead of the meeting of EU foreign ministers scheduled for Tuesday, which will discuss the reimposition of sanctions on Israel, where she confirmed that the European Union had previously concluded that Israel had violated the second clause of the bilateral association agreement, which related to respect for human rights, adding that "Israel has crossed all the red lines set by the Union."

Gedi touched on Israel's adoption of a law that allows the application of the death penalty to Palestinian prisoners, in addition to escalating its attacks on Lebanon, considering that these developments come within a broader context of violations, including what she described as genocide in the Gaza Strip and the continuation of the occupation in the West Bank.

She pointed out that the support of some European leaders for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, reflects a state of "impunity," stressing that the EU is required to stand by the victims of violations.

Gedi said European public opinion is demanding concrete steps against Israel, noting that citizens have "said enough" and are demanding justice and accountability. She revealed that more than one million signatures have been collected in three  months as part of the "European Citizens" initiative, stressing that Amnesty International is preparing to launch a campaign targeting Germany and Italy to push them to change their attitudes towards Tel Aviv.

She explained that the suspension of the trade aspects of the association agreement could be done through a vote of a qualified majority within the bloc, making the positions of Berlin and Rome decisive in this direction.

Prisoners' Execution Law

On March 30, the Israeli Knesset passed a law that allows the execution of Palestinian prisoners, and the law applies to the 117 prisoners accused of deliberately killing Israelis.

More than 9,600 Palestinian prisoners, including children and women, are languishing in Israeli prisons, suffering from torture, starvation and medical negligence, according to human rights reports, which has led to the death of dozens of them.

In Gaza, the ceasefire agreement was reached, after two years of a genocidal war started by Israel on October 8, 2023, which left more than 72,000 dead and more than 172,000 Palestinians wounded, and extensive destruction of 90 percent of infrastructure.

What are the terms of the EU-Israel Association Agreement?

The EU-Israel Association Agreement is the basic legal framework for relations between the two sides, signed in Brussels on 20 November 1995 and entered into force on 1 June 2000.

The agreement aims to establish a gradual free trade area between the EU and Israel, while promoting economic, trade, technological and scientific cooperation, and providing a regular framework for political dialogue.

Article II of the Convention states that relations between the parties are based on respect for human rights and democratic principles, which are an essential element of the Convention.

The European Citizens Initiative is a mechanism of the European Union that allows its citizens to participate directly in influencing its policies, and according to the system adopted in the European Union since 2012, collecting one million valid signatures from  at least 7 member states obliges the Commission to formally consider the application.

While this action does not obligate UNHCR to submit a legal proposal, it does require it to state its political position and provide a response to the petition.