Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, confirmed in a joint press conference with his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, his government’s intention to withdraw from the International Criminal Court in The Hague, accusing it of now operating on political criteria.

“I had personally signed Hungary’s accession document to the ICC in 2000. However, the current Hungarian government is convinced that the Court has become a political institution, with biases and political considerations,” he said.

He added that “this otherwise important institution, has been downgraded to a political forum and we no longer want any participation in it,” announcing that legislation will soon be filed to formally withdraw the country from the Rome Statute.

For his part, Benjamin Netanyahu warmly welcomed the move, saying it was a “bold decision”. “It is important to stand up to this corrupt organization,” he said, directly attacking the ICC.

However, the Israeli prime minister did not stop there. Speaking about bilateral relations, he spoke of a deep friendship, a deep alliance between Hungary and Israel, covering a wide range – from investment and technology to defense and sports.

“But our cooperation goes deeper than that,” he noted. And he placed Israel and Hungary on the same side, against what he called “radical Islam” which “is represented by Iran and its proxies.”

Netanyahu concluded by saying: “We will crush the Iranian axis of terror, which threatens not only us but also Europe and many of our neighbors in the Middle East.”