The Hungarian Parliament approved a bill to withdraw from the International Criminal Court on Tuesday, May 20, citing the institution's "political motivations." Hungary becomes the third country to take this action, following Burundi and the Philippines.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced last month during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit that Hungary, as an EU member state, would withdraw from the court. Despite the ICC issuing an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, Orbán hosted him.

The ICC has accused Netanyahu of committing war crimes in Gaza, which he denies. In the vote on Tuesday, 134 MPs voted in favor of the withdrawal proposal, 37 voted against it, and 7 abstained.

Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto stated that once the decision is formally announced, Hungary will inform the United Nations. He claimed the ICC has become a "politically motivated judicial institution," which he deems unacceptable, asserting that Hungary should not belong to such an organization.

The effective date of the withdrawal will be one year after the submission of the withdrawal document to the UN Secretary-General’s office. The ICC, established in 2002 and headquartered in The Hague, aims to prosecute individuals responsible for the world's most serious crimes.