Orban to invite Netanyahu in defiance of ICC arrest warrant 

BUDAPEST, Nov 22: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, on Friday said he would invite Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to visit and defy an ICC arrest warrant.

The Hague-based court on Thursday issued warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif "for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024".

Orban called the ICC's decision "outrageously brazen and "cynical", saying it "intervenes in an ongoing conflict... dressed up as a legal decision, but in fact for political purposes".    —AFP