Orbán’s defeat is also a blow to his ally Netanyahu

By Tal Shalev, CNN

(CNN) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saw his closest European ally soundly defeated in the Hungarian elections on Sunday.

The result is a blow to Israel’s longest-serving leader in an election year and has emboldened the country’s opposition, who see the upcoming vote, scheduled for October, as a critical moment for the nation.

Like US President Donald Trump, Netanyahu openly endorsed Orbán, recording a personal video endorsement for him at CPAC. “Viktor Orbán means safety, security, stability,” Netanyahu said in the pre-recorded statement. His son, Yair, who has cultivated his own ties with Orbán’s Fidesz party, attended the event in person, calling Budapest “almost a second home.”

Netanyahu has also praised Orbán’s ostensible steps against antisemitism, even as the Hungarian leader has himself faced accusations of antisemitism for rewriting Hungary’s holocaust history and negative portrayals of left-leaning Jewish philanthropist George Soros and Ukrainian leader Volodomyr Zelensky.

In a statement on social media on Monday, Netanyahu called 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 also works for Trump, advised Orbán’s campaign as well.

The deep relationship between Netanyahu and Orbán, cultivated over the past 15 years, goes far beyond right-wing messaging. Last year, after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu over the Gaza war, Budapest announced its withdrawal from the ICC – making Hungary one of the few global destinations Netanyahu can visit without risking arrest.

Orbán has repeatedly blocked the European Union from issuing condemnation of Israel or taking punitive measures. Such measures require unanimity, and Orbán did not shy away from unilaterally blocking the actions.

‘A message of hope’ for Israel’s opposition

For Israel’s opposition, Orbán’s loss is being received as a moment of hope, and as evidence that even the most entrenched illiberal governments can be voted out

Efrat Rayten, a lawmaker from the left‑wing Democrat party, called the outcome “a message of hope.” “The idea that a leader who controls the institutions and the media is immune to defeat has been shattered,” she told CNN. “The lesson for Israel is unity, perseverance, and faith in civil society.”

Since the current Netanyahu government took office in January 2023, Israel’s opposition has repeatedly invoked Orbán’s Hungary as a cautionary model of what they argue Netanyahu is pursuing at home: hollowing out checks and balances and weakening the independence of the judiciary and the media.

“Israel will not become Hungary” was one of the central slogans of the 2023 mass protest movement against Netanyahu’s government sweeping judicial overhaul and legislative blitz. A March 2026 report by the left-leaning Zulat think tank described Israel as moving toward a “partially authoritarian” system. Unlike Orbán, the report noted, Netanyahu never formally declared his country a “non‑liberal democracy”,” but his government actions, it argued, are bringing it close to one.

Orbán’s defeat does not guarantee victory for those trying to oust Netanyahu, though it does offer a lesson for those trying to oust the Israeli premier.

“Change does not happen only in the corridors of Parliament,” Rayten said. “It begins in the streets, with people who refuse to give up.” But Rayten points out it requires something Israel has often lacked: unity between the opposition parties. Netanyahu’s critics are encouraged from the message stemming from Orban’s defeat, but whether that optimism is warranted remains to be seen.

The-CNN-Wire
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