Last week, Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited Australia at the invitation of the Australian government, as requested by Jewish peak body the Zionist Federation of Australia. The visit was primarily to support victims of the Bondi massacre, and was welcomed by the vast majority of our Jewish community. You'd need a cold heart not to be moved by footage of the president and his wife consoling tearful family members of those murdered.

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Yet, sadly, the visit attracted opposition and vitriol from some for whom the plight of the Bondi victims and the traumatised Jewish community were outweighed by their determination to pursue their obsessive campaign against Israel.

As seen in Ebony Bennett's comment piece, the crux of the opposition was that an independent UN commission of inquiry had accused Israel of genocide and Mr Herzog of inciting that genocide, and that he signed an artillery shell bound for use in Gaza.

The UN commission - which does not have any actual legal authority - was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) with a mandate whose terms make it clear its purpose was to find Israel guilty of violating international law. The UNHRC is dominated by human rights-abusing dictatorships and is so biased against Israel that it passes more motions condemning Israel each year than every other country put together, while only Israel has a permanent agenda item allocated to it.

It should then be no surprise that the UNHRC appointed commissioners who would reflect its views on Israel. Commission chair, Navi Pillay, has long supported the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign against Israel. In 2022, Commissioner Miloon Kothari claimed the Jewish lobby controls social media. Numerous countries including Australia, as well as the UN Secretary-General and UNHRC President, condemned the comments as anti-Semitic, but Pillay defended Kothari.

The same year, the third commissioner, Australia's Chris Sidoti, cavalierly dismissed concerns about anti-Semitism, saying accusations of anti-Semitism were thrown around like rice at........

© Canberra Times