The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that thousands of protesters gathered in Melbourne to denounce the visit, while left-wing and pro-Palestinian groups planned to organize additional protests across Australia.
The participants chanted slogans against Herzog and Israel, including: “Herzog is a terrorist,” “Globalize the intifada,” “There is no solution but the intifada revolution,” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Herzog arrived in Australia on Sunday for an official visit, the first by an Israeli president since Reuven Rivlin’s visit in 2020. His father, Chaim Herzog, also visited the country when he was president of Israel in 1986.
Haaretz noted that the visit comes after the armed attack that targeted a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney in December 2015, which resulted in the death of 16 people, with authorities classifying the visit as a major security event and deploying thousands of police officers to control the crowds.
Haaretz added that the protests would continue throughout the day in Melbourne, as part of a wider wave of demonstrations across Australia coinciding with Herzog's four-day visit, which includes Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra.
She stated that the visit, which came at the invitation of the Governor-General, the Prime Minister and the Jewish community, focuses on expressing solidarity with Australian Jews and strengthening bilateral relations. Herzog is scheduled to visit the Jewish community, attend community events and meet with leaders and political figures from across the spectrum.
The newspaper noted that the police were granted exceptional powers during the visit, including dispersing crowds, restricting access to specific areas and searching vehicles. Around 3,000 police officers were deployed in Sydney, with heightened security measures in Melbourne and Canberra as well.
She also pointed to divisions within the Australian Jewish community, as the Australian Jewish Council issued an open letter signed by more than a thousand Jewish academics and leaders calling on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to withdraw the invitation to Herzog, describing the visit as one that would undermine social cohesion.
Haaretz quoted Australian human rights lawyer Chris Sidoti describing the visit as a “crazy idea,” saying that bringing Herzog to Australia would increase division and not achieve national unity, noting that some lawyers believe the police might arrest him on suspicion of inciting genocide, a crime under Australian and international law.
These developments come in light of the ceasefire in Gaza, which ended last October a war that began on October 7, 2023, and lasted two years, resulting in more than 72,000 martyrs and more than 171,000 wounded Palestinians, in addition to the destruction of about 90 percent of the civilian infrastructure, with reconstruction costs estimated by the United Nations at about $70 billion.
Despite the agreement, Israel has continued its violations daily since October 10, resulting in the martyrdom of more than 500 Palestinians and the injury of more than 1,400.
