Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Hungary early Thursday in response to a controversial invitation from his counterpart Viktor Orban.
Hungary became the first member of the EU to openly defy an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for crimes against humanity against Mr Netanyahu, which Hungary condemned as "shameful". It is in line with Mr Orban's challenges to the EU's commitment to international law and democratic principles.
The five-day visit, scheduled to begin on April 2, has been described by Amnesty International as “a cynical effort to undermine the ICC and its work”.
“Any trip [Mr Netanyahu] takes to an ICC member state that does not end in his arrest would embolden Israel to commit further crimes against Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories,” the human rights campaign group said.
Netanyahu's visit to Hungary is yet another attack on multilateral rules-based order, and international law and justice
A European diplomat
But it also highlights the ambivalent position taken by many European countries towards the ICC and its work.
“It's a very clear case of double standards. The EU is one of the most principled actors when it comes to international law globally but that fails when it comes to Israel and Palestine,” Hussein Baoumi, foreign policy advocacy officer at Amnesty International's European institutions office in Brussels, told The National.
Moral clarity
The Hungarian invitation was extended in a letter sent in November last year, shortly after the ICC charged the 75-year old Israeli leader with war crimes in the Gaza Strip, including using starvation as a method of warfare and crimes against humanity such as murder.
At the time, Mr Netanyahu thanked Mr Orban for his “moral clarity and steadfastness on the side of justice and the truth”. In an interview, the Hungarian leader said that he had "no other choice" than to reject the ICC decision, which he described as "wrong". "We have to confront this decision, and so later today I will invite the Prime Minister of Israeli, Mr Netanyahu, to visit Hungary," he said.
Hungary signed the Rome Statute, the international treaty that created the ICC, in 1999, and ratified it two years later during Mr Orban's first term in office. But Budapest has not promulgated the associated convention for reasons of constitutionality and therefore asserts it does not have to comply with ICC decisions.
While the Hungarian invitation to Mr Netanyahu was prompted by the ICC arrest warrant, the two leaders will also be discussing US President Donald Trump's plans for Gaza, Israeli media has reported. Mr Netanyahu in February visited the US, which has not signed the Rome Statute and has issued sanctions against the ICC for targeting the Israeli Prime Minister.
Mr Trump's plan includes pushing out Palestinians from the enclave and building a Mediterranean resort instead – a breach of international law that was rejected by most Arab states. This also goes against the EU's long-standing position of supporting a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict.
Hungary is widely viewed as an outlier at EU level because of its relationship with Russia and repeated veto of decisions in support of Ukraine that require unanimous backing from the bloc's 27 states.
This refusal came after the European Commission in 2022 blocked about €22 billion ($23.75 billion) in funds to Hungary amid concerns over rule-of-law offences, including undermining the independence of the judiciary, before unfreezing about half of that sum last year.
Mr Orban, who has campaigned with hostile billboards against EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, is considered by many in Brussels as the troublesome leader of Europe's authoritarian far-right.
On Monday, Mr Orban was among the first international leaders to show his support for popular French far-right leader Marine Le Pen after a court in Paris found her guilty of embezzling hundreds of thousands of euros in European Parliament funds, in effect stopping her from running in the 2027 presidential race.
Wake-up call
In European circles, frustration with Hungary is so intense that Germany is reported to be working on a proposal to scrap the need for consensus on sanctions – such as those imposed upon Russia – in an effort to bypass Mr Orban's resistance.
The incoming German government has also agreed to suggest to the EU to withhold funds and suspend voting rights from countries that defy the rule of law. While Hungary is not named, it is the obvious target of the proposal, Politico reported on Monday.
Yet when it comes to denouncing human rights violations against Palestinians, most EU heavyweights appear to join ranks with Hungary in their rejection of the implementation of the ICC's arrest warrant.
“This should really be a wake-up call,” Amnesty's Mr Baoumi said.
Germany's incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said he would find “ways and means” to invite Mr Netanyahu without being arrested. In an apparent effort to remain involved in ceasefire talks in Lebanon by not alienating Mr Netanyahu, France's Foreign Ministry has argued that heads of state from countries that have not ratified the Rome Statute cannot be arrested.
This appeared to contradict statements issued by France calling on Mongolia to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin during a visit in September. Mr Putin is also the subject of an ICC arrest warrant. Russia withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2016.
Not everyone in Europe thinks Mr Netanyahu should freely visit the continent. The EU is divided on the Middle East and a number of countries demonstrably pro-Palestine such as Spain and Ireland have also indicated they would arrest him.
One European diplomat described Mr Netanyahu's visit to Hungary as “extremely worrying, and yet another attack on multilateral rules-based order, and international law and justice”.
Overall, the EU has remained a strong ally of Israel despite mounting criticism of its conduct in Gaza and Lebanon. The bloc has rejected the idea put forward by some capitals to review its free trade agreement with Israel on human rights grounds. This would be akin to sanctioning Israel, for whom the EU is the most important trading partner.
When questioned about Mr Netanyahu's visit to Hungary, the EU Commission, the bloc's executive arm, has reiterated its support for the ICC without specifically calling for his arrest.
On Monday, a representative said that the EU “respects the court’s independence and impartiality and we are strongly committed to international criminal justice and the fight against impunity”.
They recalled 2023 EU council conclusions calling upon all states to ensure full co-operation with the court, including by the prompt execution of outstanding arrest warrants.
Some countries have avoided the awkward decision on Mr Netanyahu's freedom of movement by sending ministers and envoys to Israel.
During a visit to Jerusalem on Sunday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was welcomed by Mr Netanyahu with these words: “From one democracy in the Eastern Mediterranean to another democracy in the Eastern Mediterranean, welcome, friend.”
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
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- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
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- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE BIO: Mohammed Ashiq Ali
Proudest achievement: “I came to a new country and started this shop”
Favourite TV programme: the news
Favourite place in Dubai: Al Fahidi. “They started the metro in 2009 and I didn’t take it yet.”
Family: six sons in Dubai and a daughter in Faisalabad
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
GAC GS8 Specs
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500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
A Dog's Journey
Directed by: Gail Mancuso
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Josh Gad, Marg Helgenberger, Betty Gilpin, Kathryn Prescott
3 out of 5 stars
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster with a decades-long career in TV. He has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others. Karam is also the founder of Takreem.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
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Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
