CIJR | Canadian Institute for Jewish Research
L'institut Canadien de Recherches sur le Judaisme

Analysis

Behind Hungary’s Turnaround, Budding Alliance with Israel

Supporting Israel in Hungary | A rally in support of Israel … | SOURCE: Flickr
Supporting Israel in Hungary | A rally in support of Israel … | SOURCE: Flickr

Alex Traiman

JNS, Apr. 6, 2025

“We need international structures, but international structures which are not biased or based on woke ideology, but which are neutral.”

Hungary is quickly turning into Israel’s most important ally, and one of the most consequential countries in Europe. The Eastern European nation is home to Israel’s third-largest Jewish community and is among the most popular vacation destinations for Israelis.

Common policies, which begin with standing firmly against Jew-hatred, are at the heart of the alliance, and the same political forces—the progressive left and radicalized Muslims—that have sought to prevent the Jewish state from emerging as a strong sovereign nation are attempting to do the same to Hungary.

In their efforts to strengthen their respective nations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian prime minister, have found common ground and formed a strong working alliance, evidenced by the royal greeting Netanyahu received in Budapest last week.

Since the International Criminal Court, a stand-alone judicial body in The Hague which is not connected to the United Nations, issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on faulty war crimes charges in February, the Israeli premier cannot touch down securely throughout much of Europe. But not only did Orbán welcome Netanyahu with open arms. He formally withdrew Hungary from the ICC and said that the once “important court” has become a political tool, as so many international bodies have. …SOURCE

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