Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noticed his closest European ally soundly defeated within the Hungarian elections on Sunday.
The result’s a blow to Israel’s longest-serving chief in an election yr and has emboldened the nation’s opposition, who see the upcoming vote, scheduled for October, as a vital second for the nation.
Like US President Donald Trump, Netanyahu brazenly endorsed Orbán, recording a private video endorsement for him at CPAC. “Viktor Orbán means safety, security, stability,” Netanyahu mentioned within the pre-recorded assertion. His son, Yair, who has cultivated his personal ties with Orbán’s Fidesz social gathering, attended the occasion in particular person, calling Budapest “almost a second home.”
Netanyahu has additionally praised Orbán’s ostensible steps in opposition to antisemitism, even because the Hungarian chief has himself confronted accusations of antisemitism for rewriting Hungary’s holocaust historical past and unfavorable portrayals of left-leaning Jewish philanthropist George Soros and Ukrainian chief Volodomyr Zelensky.
In a press release on social media on Monday, Netanyahu referred to as Orbán a “true friend of Israel, who stood firmly by Israel’s side in the face of unjust international vilification.” He then congratulated Peter Magyar on his election victory.
Israeli media reported that Netanyahu’s American pollster, John McLaughlin, who additionally works for Trump, suggested Orbán’s marketing campaign as effectively.
The deep relationship between Netanyahu and Orbán, cultivated over the previous 15 years, goes far past right-wing messaging. Last yr, after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants in opposition to Netanyahu over the Gaza conflict, Budapest introduced its withdrawal from the ICC – making Hungary one of many few international locations Netanyahu can go to with out risking arrest.
Orbán has repeatedly blocked the European Union from issuing condemnation of Israel or taking punitive measures. Such measures require unanimity, and Orbán didn’t shrink back from unilaterally blocking the actions.
For Israel’s opposition, Orbán’s loss is being acquired as a second of hope, and as proof that even probably the most entrenched intolerant governments might be voted out
Efrat Rayten, a lawmaker from the left‑wing Democrat social gathering, referred to as the result “a message of hope.” “The idea that a leader who controls the institutions and the media is immune to defeat has been shattered,” she informed NCS. “The lesson for Israel is unity, perseverance, and faith in civil society.”
Since the present Netanyahu authorities took workplace in January 2023, Israel’s opposition has repeatedly invoked Orbán’s Hungary as a cautionary mannequin of what they argue Netanyahu is pursuing at dwelling: hollowing out checks and balances and weakening the independence of the judiciary and the media.
“Israel will not become Hungary” was one of many central slogans of the 2023 mass protest motion in opposition to Netanyahu’s authorities sweeping judicial overhaul and legislative blitz. A March 2026 report by the left-leaning Zulat suppose tank described Israel as shifting towards a “partially authoritarian” system. Unlike Orbán, the report famous, Netanyahu by no means formally declared his nation a “non‑liberal democracy”,” however his authorities actions, it argued, are bringing it shut to 1.
Orbán’s defeat doesn’t assure victory for these making an attempt to oust Netanyahu, although it does supply a lesson for these making an attempt to oust the Israeli premier.
“Change does not happen only in the corridors of Parliament,” Rayten mentioned. “It begins in the streets, with people who refuse to give up.” But Rayten factors out it requires one thing Israel has typically lacked: unity between the opposition events. Netanyahu’s critics are inspired from the message stemming from Orban’s defeat, however whether or not that optimism is warranted stays to be seen.