Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended the government's decision to host Israeli President Isaac Herzog, as another federal MP joined calls to withdraw the invitation in the wake of the Bondi terror attack. Herzog is due to arrive in Sydney in February, with authorities planning a major security response and pro-Palestinian groups organising nationwide protests.
Labor's internal Friends of Palestine group has again urged the government to rescind the invitation, and independent MP Sophie Scamps said on Thursday that the visit "risks igniting further division". Scamps, the member for Mackellar, stressed that the priority after Bondi should be the safety of the Jewish community, and that inviting "a divisive figure" could invite division and further risk.
The invitation was extended after the December shooting at a Bondi Hanukah festival that killed 15 people. Herzog's spokesperson confirmed he would travel between 8 and 12 February to visit Jewish communities. The Palestine Action Group has announced a "national day of protest", while Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi criticised the government for welcoming "the president of a state committing an ongoing genocide".
Gaza's health ministry said the Palestinian death toll had surpassed 70,000, after 1,200 Israelis were killed in the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023. Israeli forces have killed at least 425 Palestinians since the current ceasefire began, according to the ministry. Scamps pointed to a UN commission of inquiry finding that Israel had committed genocide, and that Herzog, Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant had "incited the commission of genocide". Israel's foreign ministry rejected the report as "distorted and false".
Scamps warned that inviting a foreign head of state found to have incited genocide "risks deeply dividing the Australian community" and could heighten tensions at a time when the government should be fostering social cohesion. Shadow foreign minister Michaelia Cash welcomed the visit, calling planned protests "deeply disappointing". Multicultural affairs minister Anne Aly described the invitation as "protocol" after the tragedy, but later clarified that she appreciated its significance and would welcome anything that assists unity.
Palestine Action Group's Sydney march is set for Town Hall, an area where demonstrations are currently restricted after police effectively banned protests in parts of the CBD following the Bondi attack. Police are due to announce next week whether the restriction will be extended for another 14 days.
