The government has held talks with Hungary, which provided protection to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in defiance of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The ICC ordered Hungary to arrest Netanyahu and hand him over to the court to face charges of genocide against the Palestinian people when he began a four-day trip to the country on April 3.

But Hungary refused to comply with the order and has since proposed to withdraw from the ICC.

Hungary's Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó with Netanyahu.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Khaleel held talks with Hungary's Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on Friday to strengthen relations with the country. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey.

More than 61,700 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023.

The government has promised to ban entry with Israeli passports. The decision was made on June 2, but no steps have been taken so far.

Attorney General (AG) Ahmed Usham later said a blanket ban on Israeli citizens was not advisable.

Meanwhile, the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)'s bill on banning Israeli passports has been stalled in the People's Majlis.

The ruling People's National Congress (PNC) MPs prefer imposing a ban on Israeli government and military officials rather than banning the Israeli passport.