Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar met today (Thursday) with Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, where they discussed developments in the Middle East and Israel's policy towards them.
The two discussed the hostage deal, where Sa'ar reiterated the government's commitment to both free the hostages and eliminate Hamas' military and governing capacity. They also discussed the matter of Hungarian-Israeli citizen Omri Miran, who is currently being held hostage by Hamas.
Sa'ar also noted that Israel is committed to the ceasefire in Lebanon while maintaining its security, and made positive note of President Trump's decision to reinstate sanctions against the Iran-backed Houthi forces, who have been attacking international shipping ever since the war began.
After saying that Israel will not tolerate any threat to its citizens from any direction, he thanked the Hungarian minister for its clear and consistent support for Israel.
Sa'ar then held a joint press conference with his Hungarian counterpart to address the proceedings in the ICC, which has issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes during the fight against Hamas in Gaza.
In his statement, Sa'ar said that "Hungary, under the leadership of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, is a close friend and important ally of Israel. This is an alliance between two proud, sovereign, free, and independent peoples. I appreciate the significant support of the Hungarian government on the international stage, especially in the European Union and the UN. There is an anti-Semitic attempt to prevent the Jewish state from defending its citizens through legal warfare in these 'judicial institutions' of international politics. We thank you for standing with Israel against the arrest warrants of the International Criminal Court and for inviting Prime Minister Netanyahu to Hungary.
"The International Criminal Court in The Hague is political and corrupt. Its conduct causes great harm to international law as well. It is unprecedented that the ICC targets a democratic state fighting terrorism, operating according to international law and the rule of law. The ICC has significantly damaged its own credibility. The U.S. House of Representatives passed important legislation, and I commend President Trump for the executive order against the ICC. The Hague has chosen to attack Israel's right, the most attacked and threatened country in the world, to defend itself. This is not only legally distorted; it is also morally distorted."
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