Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu begins a four-day visit to Hungary on Thursday, defying an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for his alleged war crimes in Gaza.

The Israeli Prime Minister is scheduled to meet with his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orban, before a press conference at approximately 10:00 a.m. GMT.

Hungary is a founding member of the International Criminal Court and is legally obligated to arrest and surrender anyone subject to a warrant issued by the court, but the Hungarian Prime Minister made it clear when he issued the invitation that Budapest would not implement the decision.

Orban reiterated Israel's condemnation of the court, describing its decision to issue the warrants as "blatant, cynical, and completely unacceptable."

In Budapest, workers were busy Wednesday constructing a platform at Buda Castle, where Orban is scheduled to receive Netanyahu with military honors on Thursday morning. Security forces were seen near the hotel in the center of the capital where Netanyahu will stay.

Second trip abroad..

This visit will mark Netanyahu's second foreign trip since the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for him and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant last November, but details of the agenda are unclear, except for a planned visit to a Holocaust memorial.

Netanyahu visited Washington last February to meet with his close ally, US President Donald Trump.

Israel and the United States have not joined the International Criminal Court, as Washington argues that the court could be used for politically motivated prosecutions.

Orban extended the invitation to Netanyahu a day after a court issued an arrest warrant for him on charges of war crimes in the Gaza Strip, where Israel is waging a military operation.

The targeting of Gaza resulted in the deaths of more than 50,000 Palestinians and the destruction of the Strip, sparking protests around the world and prompting South Africa to file a separate lawsuit at the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of committing genocide.