Israeli President to visit Australia amid protests and controversy
Israeli President Isaac Herzog will arrive in Australia on February 8 for a five-day trip to meet with senior Australian politicians and survivors of the Bondi Beach massacre.
Herzog’s visit was welcomed by Jewish community leaders, but opposed by pro-Palestinian advocates, including the Labor Party’s rank and file.
Pro-Palestinian activists in Sydney and Melbourne are preparing protests in anticipation of Herzog’s visit to oppose Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza and settlement building in the West Bank.
Herzog’s office said in a statement early Wednesday that he would lead a delegation including World Zionist Organization president Yaakov Hagoel and Jewish Agency president Doron Almog.
“President Herzog will visit Jewish communities in Australia to express solidarity and empower the community in the wake of the attack,” the statement said.
“A central part of the visit will be devoted to formal meetings with senior Australian leaders, including Australia’s governor general and prime minister, as well as leaders from across the political spectrum.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese invited Herzog to visit Australia after 15 people died and dozens were injured at the Hanukkah event in Bondi in December.
Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler praised Albanese for inviting Herzog, saying: “The visit will bring great relief to the Australian Jewish community and allow President Herzog to extend his condolences to all Australians on the worst terrorist attack in Australian history.
“Prime Minister Albanese’s invitation reflects that while there may be clear differences on policy, you can still celebrate the shared values and long history between Australia and Israel.”
Labor Friends of Palestine and the Australian Center for International Justice called on the Australian Federal Police to launch a war crimes investigation against Herzog when he visits the country.
Herzog’s largely ceremonial position as president is similar to that of Australia’s governor-general, and he has no direct influence over the government’s decision-making on military matters.
When Albanese announced he was inviting Herzog to Australia, the Palestine Advocacy Network said the move “represents a serious moral failure and is a direct insult to the hundreds of thousands of Australians who have spent more than two years protesting Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians and demanding accountability under international law.”
While parliament is meeting in Canberra during Herzog’s visit, there is no indication he will make a speech.
The Progressive Jewish Council of Australia said Herzog’s visit was “wholly inappropriate” and would lead to divisive mass protests.
“By inviting Herzog to visit, Albanese is using Jewish pain as a political prop and diplomatic backdrop,” bailiff Sarah Schwartz said.
“Inviting a foreign head of state implicated in an ongoing genocide as a representative of the Jewish community is deeply offensive and risks reinforcing the dangerous and antisemitic correlation between Jewish identity and the actions of the state of Israel. This does not make Jews safer. It does the opposite.”
Referring to Herzog’s comments, the International Court of Justice found the following: Palestinians have reasonable rights under the Genocide Convention.
Herzog’s comment that “an entire nation was responsible” for the October 7 attacks was widely cited as justifying the civilian deaths in Gaza, but Herzog insisted his words were taken out of context.
Herzog accused the ICJ of ignoring other comments in which he said there was “no excuse” for killing innocent civilians and that Israel would respect the international laws of war.
Herzog previously led the left-wing Israeli Labor Party and was a leading political opponent of current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mike Kelly, a co-convener of Labor Friends of Israel, said calls for Herzog to be investigated for alleged war crimes and not invited to Australia were “ridiculous”.
“This is part of the relentless demonization and delegitimization of Israel,” he said.
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