Israel’s President, Isaac Herzog, arrived in Australia on Monday for a four-day visit to honour victims of a deadly mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, described as the deadliest antisemitic attack since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 assault on Israel.
President Herzog said the visit was aimed at standing with Australia’s Jewish community following the December 14 attack, during which gunmen opened fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration, killing 15 people.
He said he would “express solidarity and offer strength” to those affected by the violence.
The visit has been welcomed by several Jewish leaders across Australia.
“His visit will lift the spirits of a pained community,” said Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the peak body representing Jewish Australians.
However, Herzog’s presence has also sparked nationwide controversy. Pro-Palestinian activists have announced plans for protests across major cities, including central Sydney, although police have declined to authorise demonstrations under new public order powers introduced after the Bondi Beach attack.
Amnesty International Australia has called on supporters to rally for an end to what it described as “genocide” against Palestinians and urged Australian authorities to investigate Herzog for alleged war crimes.
Prominent Australian human rights lawyer Chris Sidoti, a member of a United Nations-established inquiry into rights abuses in Israel and the Palestinian territories, also called this week for Herzog’s arrest.
A UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry reported in 2025 that Herzog had “incited the commission of genocide” after stating that all Palestinians “an entire nation” were responsible for the Hamas attack.
Israel has “categorically” rejected the findings, dismissing the report as “distorted and false” and calling for the inquiry’s abolition.
Australian federal police have ruled out any arrest, with senior officials telling lawmakers that Herzog enjoys “full immunity” from civil and criminal proceedings, including allegations of genocide.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appealed for restraint ahead of the visit, urging Australians to remember its purpose.
“President Herzog is coming particularly to engage with members of the Jewish community who are grieving the loss of 15 innocent lives,” Albanese told reporters.
“The nation needs to look towards uniting,” the prime minister said.
Despite this, critics have accused Albanese’s centre-left government of responding too slowly to a rise in antisemitic incidents since 2023.
Police identified the alleged Bondi Beach shooter as Sajid Akram, 50, who was shot and killed by officers during the attack. Akram, an Indian national, entered Australia on a visa in 1998.
His 24-year-old son, Naveed, an Australian-born citizen who remains in custody, has been charged with terrorism and 15 counts of murder.
Victims of the attack included an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, a couple who reportedly confronted one of the gunmen, and a 10-year-old girl, Matilda, described at her funeral as a “ray of sunshine”.
However, not all Jewish groups support Herzog’s visit. The Progressive Jewish Council of Australia issued an open letter opposing his invitation.
“We refuse to let our grief for the Bondi massacre be used to legitimise a leader who has played an active role in the ongoing destruction of Gaza, including the murder of tens of thousands of Palestinians, and the displacement of millions,” the letter said.
