After sweeping to a landslide victory in Hungary’s parliamentary election, Prime Minister–elect Péter Magyar of the center-right Tisza party delivered a speech in which he attempted to straddle the strong Hungary-Israel relationship he inherited and the colder European Union approach to Israel.
Amid fears of what this might mean for Israel, Magyar sought to strike a tone of reassurance.
He stressed that Israel and Hungary have a “strong relationship” and added, “Hungary is home to a strong Jewish community — one of the largest in Europe — fortunately living in peace and security. Many Hungarian nationals live in Israel, and many Israeli citizens come here.”
The future prime minister also said that he seeks a “pragmatic relationship” with Israel, which he views as an important economic partner.
But he also signaled a shift in policy, warning that Hungary would no longer reflexively block every European Union decision regarding Israel; instead, “each case and decision must be assessed individually.”
“We will see what decisions the Union makes and determine what serves both our interests and justice,” he said.
In another signal of changing winds, he said that Hungary would rejoin the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, from which the current prime minister, Viktor Orbán, had withdrawn. The ICC has demonstrated a strong bias against Israel and is viewed by critics as similar to the United Nations in that regard.
“We will re-initiate Hungary’s accession to cooperation with the International Criminal Court,” he said. “I believe it is in the interest of the entire international community and of Hungary that we remain there, just as we have been until now.”
Magyar also said that, as prime minister, he will not tolerate antisemitism, pledging that his government would continue a zero-tolerance policy to Jew-hatred.
Israel’s defense minister, Gideon Sa’ar, congratulated Magyar on his win and called for “continuing working together on further strengthening the good relations between our two countries and expanding our cooperation in different fields of mutual interests.”