Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to fly to Hungary on Wednesday evening, according to The Times of Israel, citing information from Netanyahu’s office. The purpose of their meeting is said to be to hold discussions regarding Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s possible support for U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza relocation plan.
However, given Orbán’s past opposition to mass immigration and refugees, it appears unlikely that Netanyahu could convince the Hungarian leader to accept Palestinians from Gaza. It is also unclear whether that request would even arise from Netanyahu’s side. Even after the two leaders meet, the exact details of what they plan to discuss remain under wraps.
Netanyahu’s visit will be his first visit to Europe since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in November of last year. Hungary is a signatory of the ICC’s Rome Statute, which means that its government is legally obligated to arrest the Israeli leader if he enters the country.
Orbán had already indicated at the time that he would refuse to enforce the warrant, however, and also invited Netanyahu to pay an official visit to his country.
An anonymous source told The Times of Israel that the two leaders will be talking about Hungary’s support for Trump’s controversial proposal for Gaza. Since taking office, the American president has repeatedly said that he wants to see the region become a U.S.-controlled zone.
According to the details of Trump’s plan that have been made public so far, the Palestinians currently living there would be relocated outside the country and the area would be completely rebuilt. Trump has shared a video on his social media that depicts this project as a redevelopment of Gaza into a casino and resort. However, Trump has since backtracked on the idea, saying that Palestinians will not be relocated.
The Times’ source indicated that “Netanyahu is trying to build a coalition of as many countries as possible backing Trump’s plan for Gaza.”
Orbán and Netanyahu have long maintained close relations, and this will mark the latter’s second visit to Hungary as prime minister. The first was in July 2017, when he became the first Israeli leader to visit the country since the fall of communism.
Observers noted at the time that Netanyahu’s visit coincided with accusations of anti-Semitism that were being made against the Hungarian prime minister in the international liberal press, as his government was conducting a billboard campaign against the activities of the Hungarian-born Jewish financier George Soros that summer.
Although he did not address the controversy directly, some believed this was Netanyahu’s way of supporting Orbán against his opponents.
The Times of Israel reported that Netanyahu will remain in Hungary through Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, and return to his own country on Sunday.
