Israeli President Honors Victims at Bondi Beach
Israeli President Isaac Herzog commenced his visit to Australia by laying a wreath and placing two stones from Jerusalem at Bondi Beach, the location of a December shooting targeting a Jewish festival.
"When one Jew is hurt, all Jews feel their pain," Herzog stated, adding that he was present to "embrace and console the bereaved families".
Security measures have been heightened throughout Herzog's four-day visit, which includes stops in Canberra and Melbourne, as well as a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Community Responses and Controversy Surrounding the Visit
Senior Jewish leaders have expressed that Herzog's visit will provide comfort to a grieving community. However, some groups have criticized the invitation, citing allegations that Herzog has incited genocide in Gaza.
Herzog's invitation by Prime Minister Albanese followed the tragic Bondi shooting, where 15 individuals, including a 10-year-old girl, were killed during a Hanukkah celebration.
Prime Minister Albanese remarked that the visit would foster social cohesion and a "greater sense of unity" following the Bondi attack.
Despite this, the visit is anticipated to provoke nationwide protests, including a significant demonstration scheduled for Monday evening in central Sydney.
Organizers expect approximately 5,000 attendees at the protest, which is planned to proceed despite New South Wales government restrictions on protests enacted after the Bondi incident.
The Palestine Action Group is contesting the state government's invocation of rarely used "major event" powers during Herzog's visit. These powers grant police enhanced authority, such as closing specific locations, conducting searches, and imposing fines up to $5,500 AUD (£2,839, US$3,862) for non-compliance.
Support from Jewish Organizations and Political Figures
Alex Ryvchin, co-chair executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Australia's peak Jewish body, expressed strong support for Herzog's visit on Monday.
"For the victim families and for the survivors [of the Bondi attack], it means a great deal," Ryvchin said. "His visit will lift the spirits of a pained community and we hope will lead to a much-needed recalibration of bilateral relations between two historic allies."
In contrast, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Australia last year, accusing it of "betraying Israel" and labeling Albanese "weak" for recognizing Palestine as a state alongside countries such as the UK and France.
Opposition from Other Groups and Allegations Against Herzog
Other organizations, including the Jewish Council of Australia (JCA), established in 2024 to address antisemitism and advocate for Palestinian freedom, and the Australian National Imams Council, have opposed Herzog's invitation.
JCA executive officer Sarah Schwartz stated last week, "Inviting a foreign head of state who is implicated in an ongoing genocide as a representative of the Jewish community is deeply offensive and risks entrenching the dangerous and antisemitic conflation between Jewish identity and the actions of the Israeli state. This does not make Jews safer. It does the opposite."
On Monday, a letter organized by the JCA and signed by 600 Australian Jews was published in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, condemning Herzog's visit.
A United Nations commission report released last year concluded that Herzog was among Israeli leaders who had "incited the commission of genocide" through their speeches and statements.
Herzog had declared,
"it's an entire nation out there that is responsible"for the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, and was also photographed signing a shell intended for Gaza. These remarks were part of South Africa's legal case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
Herzog has rejected the UN report, claiming his words were taken out of context, while the Israeli foreign minister described the report as "distorted and false." Israel denies allegations of genocide in Gaza.
Chris Sidoti, an Australian human rights lawyer and member of the UN commission that authored the report, called on Thursday for Herzog's arrest, arguing that the immunity typically granted to heads of state should not apply to "atrocity crimes" such as genocide.
Political Reactions and Planned Protests
Some federal Members of Parliament have expressed objections to Herzog's visit, and several state Labor MPs, despite both state and federal governments being Labor, have indicated they will participate in the Sydney protest march.
Regarding the planned protests, Herzog commented:
"I have come here in goodwill and in a message that ... Australia and Israel are close friends and allies since the days of old. These demonstrations in most cases, what you hear and see, comes to undermine and delegitimise our right, my nation's right ... of its mere existence and it's contradictory to whatever was said and done by Australia."
He further stated that the "current rise in antisemitism around the world is a global emergency."
Government Statements on the Visit
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong acknowledged on Thursday the strong feelings surrounding the visit but urged critics to consider the broader context.
"We have the Australian Jewish community who have been targeted in an overtly antisemitic terrorist attack. We have had 15 Australians die, we have families mourning, and this was a request from the Jewish community for President Herzog to visit."
She added, "I have said previously that Israel will be judged by the International Court of Justice on its compliance with the genocide convention. And I've also said previously that it must accept its responsibility for the humanitarian situation in Gaza."
