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At a press conference held together with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is staying in Hungary on an official visit, Mr Orbán said this body has in recent years become a political court; it is no longer an impartial court of the rule of law. This was most clearly demonstrated by the decisions related to Israel, he added, while Mr Netanyahu applauded his announcement made at the press conference.
“I’m convinced that this otherwise important international judicial forum has been reduced to the level of a mere political instrument, which we cannot and indeed do not want to have anything to do with during the period ahead,” Mr Orbán said. In continuation, he said the Minster of Foreign Affairs will submit to Parliament the bill related to Hungary’s departure during the day.
Mr Orbán drew attention to the fact that he was the prime minister who signed the document relating to Hungary’s accession to the International Criminal Court back in 2000, and he was the prime minister who signed the document relating to Hungary’s departure from the organisation the other day.
The Prime Minister stated that in Hungary there was zero tolerance regarding anti-Semitism; we enforce this with all available means, and protect all our citizens. He recalled that the two prime ministers had last met in Budapest eight years ago, while he himself had last visited Israel in 2021. He indicated that the world had greatly changed since, global security as a whole was facing serious threats, and one of the most serious examples and events of this development had been the terrorist attack which Israel had sustained a year and a half previously. They sustained a cruel and severe terrorist attack trampling on Israel’s sovereignty which had a major impact on the whole world, including on Hungary, he said, referring to the terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.
He stressed that Hungary had made it clear at the very first moment that it stood for Israel’s sovereignty, its right to self-defence and the security of the Israeli people, and had stood for this position everywhere in world politics ever since. He wished the Israeli Prime Minister and the government of Israel all the very best with creating security for their own people and enforcing their right to self-defence.
Mr Orbán also drew attention to the fact that changes had occurred in Hungary, too, but mostly in the European Union. He said Hungary has in recent years become an island of freedom as well as a steadfast guardian and flagbearer of Jewish-Christian civilisation in Europe.
He added that the Hungarian Jewish community was Europe’s third largest Jewish community, and he can confidently say that today they are the safest here in the whole of Europe. In recent decades, anti-Semitism has spiralled out of control in Western Europe, he said, stressing that in Hungary no one has waved Hamas flags so far, and no one will do so in the future either.
“In this country, in our country there is zero tolerance regarding anti-Semitism, and we enforce this with all available means. We protect all our citizens, and pay special attention to groups which are particularly vulnerable; today, the Jewish community is particularly vulnerable everywhere in the world,” he said.
Anti-Semitism is imported into Europe as illegal migration brings with it a rise in anti-Semitism. The Brussels elite is unable and unwilling to stop illegal migration, but instead it seeks to manage it, he said. Mr Orbán stated that in this regard Hungary was not willing to make any concessions. Hungary does not accept any kind of migration and will not allow the enforcement of any European migration pact because it would compromise the security of all citizens living here. Additionally, this is also an issue of sovereignty for Hungary, he observed.
The Prime Minister said, also due to its values and national interests, Hungary has a vested interest in Israel remaining a stable and safe country. A stable Israel is key to the stability of the Middle East, he stressed.
Mr Orbán highlighted that Israel was a major investor in Hungary. There is good cooperation between the Hungarian and Israeli business communities, and it is to be hoped that this cooperation will also continue in the future. He added that cooperation extended to the defence industry, and the parties would continue this cooperation in the future as well.
He recalled that Hungary had purchased a number of technologies from Israel and had integrated them into its military system. He said 150 Israeli businesses operate in Hungary, providing jobs for several thousand people, and these are valuable investments not only on account of their volume, but also due to their quality because these investments have been made in the pharmaceutical industry and the high-tech sector. Hungarian exports to Israel are on a scale that matters to us, Mr Orbán stressed, expressing joy about the fact that Israel has never created any obstacles to exports from Hungary to Israel.
The Prime Minister thanked Israel for the support it provides for the Jewish community living in Hungary, adding that today in Hungary the Hungarian Jewish community – which is a community with a difficult past full of adversity – cannot only feel at home, but can regard itself as a valuable community “the same way that we ourselves look upon the Jewish community living in Hungary as a valuable community.”
Mr Orbán described Mr Netanyahu’s visit as important not only politically, but “also as an important personal, spiritual, if you like, civilisational visit.” He said also in the future Israel can count on Hungary as “an impregnable European bastion” of Jewish-Christian culture.
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