Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrived in Sydney on Monday ahead of a multi-city trip aimed at expressing solidarity with Australia’s Jewish community, after a December shooting at a Hanukkah event that killed 15.
Herzog is visiting Australia this week following an invitation from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the aftermath of the December 14 shooting at Bondi Beach, the worst such attack in decades that shocked the nation.
The visit has attracted the ire of some people in Australia, who accuse Herzog of being complicit in civilian deaths in Gaza. Protests are planned across the country.
Herzog began his visit at Bondi Beach, where he laid a wreath at a memorial for the victims of the attack.
He met survivors and the families of 15 people killed in the shooting during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach.
“This was also an attack on all Australians. They attacked the values that our democracies treasure, the sanctity of human life, the freedom of religion, tolerance, dignity and respect,” Herzog said in remarks at the site.
In a statement, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry Co-Chief Executive Alex Ryvchin said Herzog’s visit “will lift the spirits of a pained community.”
Some Jews oppose the visit.
The Jewish Council of Australia, a vocal critic of the Israeli government, released an open letter on Monday signed by over 1,000 Jewish Australian academics and community leaders, urging Albanese to rescind Herzog’s invitation.
PROTESTS PLANNED ACROSS AUSTRALIA
Herzog’s visit has drawn opposition from pro-Palestine groups, with protests planned in major cities, and the Palestine Action Group has launched a legal challenge in a Sydney court against restrictions placed on the expected demonstration.
“A national day of protest will be held today, calling for the arrest and investigation of Isaac Herzog, who has been found by the UN Commission of Inquiry to have incited genocide in Gaza,” the Palestine Action Group said in a statement.
Authorities in Sydney have declared Herzog’s visit a major event and deployed thousands of police to manage the crowds.
Police have urged the protesters to gather at a central Sydney park for public safety reasons, but protest organisers said they plan to rally at the city’s historic Town Hall instead.
Police have been authorised to use rarely invoked powers during the visit, including the ability to separate and move crowds, restrict their entry to certain areas, direct people to leave and search vehicles.
“We’re hoping we won’t have to use any powers, because we’ve been liaising very closely with the protest organisers,” New South Wales Police Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna told Nine News on Monday.
“Overall, it is all of the community that we want to keep safe … we’ll be there in significant numbers just to make sure that the community is safe.”
About 3,000 police personnel will be deployed across Sydney.
(Reporting by Renju Jose )
