Israeli President Concludes Challenging Australia Trip Amid Ongoing Gaza Conflict Protests

MELBOURNE – Israeli President Isaac Herzog was set to conclude a four-day visit to Australia on Thursday, marked by both support and protest. His visit offered solace to Sydney’s Jewish community, still reeling from a recent antisemitic shooting, yet it also sparked significant protests over the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Throughout his visit, Herzog faced demonstrators who accused him of war crimes as he traveled through Sydney, Canberra, and Melbourne. This trip marked the first time in six years that an Israeli head of state visited Australia.

Addressing a gathering of the Jewish community in Melbourne on Thursday, Herzog expressed his solidarity, saying, “We came here to be with you, to look you in the eye, to embrace, to remember, and to share in your sorrow,” just hours before his departure. The event was held under heightened police security.

He continued, “We have shed many tears this week, yet we leave feeling strengthened by witnessing the beauty and resilience of your community, a beacon to all Australians of goodwill.”

Herzog’s visit, coordinated with the Australian government, aimed to support a community still in shock from the December 14 attack at Bondi Beach. The attack, which claimed 15 lives, was allegedly inspired by the Islamic State group.

Zionist Federation of Australia President Jeremy Leibler, who accompanied Herzog during his Australian travels, appealed to protesters to consider the grieving Jewish community.

“The community in Sydney is feeling extremely uplifted and seen following his visits,” Leibler told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

“They (protesters) are entitled to their objection. I guess what I would ask is … for the broader community to perhaps consider exercising just a little bit of regard as to the trauma that the Jewish community is experiencing following the attack on Bondi,” Leibler said.

Herzog’s critics take issue with another stated purpose of his visit. Herzog told The Associated Press in a statement last week his visit would “reinvigorate” bilateral relations and “dispel many of the lies and misinformation spread about Israel over the last two years.”

“Now that means his visit is not a visit to mourn, but it’s a visit that is political, that is in fact propaganda,” Australian human rights lawyer Chris Sidoti told Seven Network television. “So his view seems to be different from the Australian government’s view as to the purposes of his visit.”

Sidoti was one of three experts appointed by the U.N.’s Human Rights Council to an inquiry that reported in September last year that Herzog, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had incited the commission of genocide in Gaza.

Bilateral relations have been strained over the plight of Palestinian civilians since the Israel-Hamas war began in 2023, particularly since Australia decided to recognize a Palestinian state six months ago.

Herzog said on Thursday his discussions with Australian political leaders and “opinion shapers” this week had been “conducted with candor, open-mindedness and a great deal of mutual respect.”

“I found serious partners who are willing to hold serious conversations and address the vile rhetoric, the misinformation, the shameful antisemitism head on,” Herzog said.

Police said a planned visit on Thursday to the ruins of Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue, which was torched in late 2024, had been cancelled due to security concerns. Australia accused Iran of directing that arson attack and expelled Iranian Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi in August.

Anti-Herzog graffiti left overnight at a Melbourne University campus was removed early Thursday.

“The university stands firmly against antisemitism. Racism, hatred and violence have no place in our society or our nation. We became aware of the offensive graffiti on the edge of our Parkville (suburban) campus this morning and immediately sent cleaners who swiftly removed it,” a university statement said.

On his first day in Australia on Monday, Herzog laid a wreath at Bondi Beach. He also met survivors and bereaved families.

He addressed the media at the Australian Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday, describing his visit as an opportunity to reset bilateral relations on a “new beginning and a better future.”