Hungary's outgoing Prime Minister, Viktor Orban , has long been considered Israel's closest ally in Europe and a staunch supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite his corruption scandals and multiple wars in the Middle East.
Now that Orban's 19-year tenure has come to an end, questions are being raised over how many of Netanyahu's allies remain in Europe, as the continent grows increasingly critical of Israel following the wars in Gaza and Iran, as well as settler violence and annexation in the occupied West Bank.
The Hungarian nationalist leader backed Netanyahu on multiple fronts, with the Israeli premier once describing Orban as "like a rock" for Israel. Orban went as far as inviting Netanyahu to Hungary in defiance of the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued against him over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Throughout his tenure, he blocked the European Union from issuing criticism or punitive measures against Israel over human rights violations.
Israeli media have since described Orban's defeat as the end of Netanyahu's EU "firewall". Peter Magyar , who defeated Orban in a landslide election on Sunday, said he would seek to return Hungary to the ICC after his predecessor withdrew in support of Netanyahu.
Magyar did not comment directly on Netanyahu 's arrest warrant, though the move suggests the Israeli leader could face arrest in Hungary if the country rejoins the court and he visits.
Despite this, Magyar said Hungary and Israel would continue to share “a special relationship”.
"Israel and Hungary - obviously there's a special relationship. A lot of Hungarians live in Israel, a lot of Israeli citizens come here to Hungary," he said.
In his first remarks after the election, the pro-Europe leader also stressed maintaining economic ties with Israel, though he suggested Hungary may no longer follow Orbán’s policy of repeatedly vetoing EU measures against Israel. This raises the possibility that future EU sanctions against Israel could face less resistance from Budapest.
With Orban 's defeat and Europe growing more critical of Israel - notably Spain, Ireland and Slovenia, which recognised a Palestinian state last year - Netanyahu appears to have fewer allies in the region. So, who still supports Netanyahu despite Israel's atrocities? Czechia remains among the countries still strongly backing Israel, with Prime Minister Andrej Babis, in office for a second term since September, being thanked earlier this month by Netanyahu for his "great support", and praising the country's "remarkably moral partnership" with Israel.
The comments came during a visit by Foreign Minister Petr Macinka to Jerusalem, where he reiterated support for relocating the Czech embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Babis' predecessor, Petr Fiala, had said he "firmly stood by Israel's right to defend itself" in 2024, and described the ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu as "appalling and completely unacceptable". Austria has also voiced strong support for Israel. Chancellor Christian Stocker visited Israel earlier this year and has pledged Austria's commitment to Israel, including opposition to banning Israel from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest.
Germany has likewise maintained longstanding support for Israel, rooted in its Staatsrason policy following the Holocaust. During the war in Gaza, Berlin continued arms exports and upheld Israel's right to defend itself, drawing criticism from rights groups including Amnesty International for taking a "one-sided stance".
Chancellor Friedrich Merz also criticised the ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu and visited Israel in December, meeting Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.
However, following Israel 's escalation in Lebanon alongside the war in Iran, Merz called for an end to hostilities there and expressed concern over the gradual annexation of the West Bank, drawing criticism from Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Netanyahu has also maintained close ties with Greece and Cyprus , particularly on security cooperation and energy projects in the eastern Mediterranean, as well as relations with Romania and Bulgaria, which restricted pro-Palestinian protests following the Gaza war in 2023.
Despite the significant relations Netanyahu has with some European countries, the Israeli premier lashed out at the continent for "its deep moral weakness" on Holocaust Remembrance Day on Monday, claiming that it has "forgotten so much since" the tragic events took place.
He accused Europe of "losing control of its identity, of its values, of its responsibility to defend civilisation against barbarism", as Israel continued to wage wars across the Middle East.
"It has much to learn from us, especially the essential lesson of the clear moral distinction between good and evil, which in moments of truth demands that we go to war for the sake of what’s good, for the sake of life," he said.
The premier also claimed that Israel was "defending the entire world" alongside the United States, in his rant.