Things are getting rather ropey on the invitation of Israeli President Isaac Herzog to visit Australia on 8th February.  It came amidst the anguish following the Bondi Beach attacks of 14th December 2025 on attendees of a Hanukkah event by two gunmen, leaving 15 dead. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese obviously thought it a sensible measure at the time.  For months, his government has been snarled at by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for providing succour to antisemitism.  The wretched thesis: that Australia’s recognition of a Palestinian State at September’s UN General Assembly meeting somehow stirred it.  

Albanese had thought dealing with the gargoyle of antisemitism and engendering good will could be achieved by inviting Herzog.  “We need to build social cohesion in this country,” he insists.  The Australia/Israel Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) also thought the invitation sound, sending “a powerful message of solidarity and support … following the tragic events at Bondi and the surge of antisemitism across the country”.

These claims of fluffy approval ignore the serious and blindingly obvious prospect that legal grounds might arise regarding Herzog’s visit, not to mention the public protest and agitation it will cause.  Australia, being a party both to the UN Genocide Convention and the Rome Statute which establishes the International Criminal Court, must always be wary about the injunctions of membership.  A determined opposition, armed with legal arguments and indignation, has shown itself keen on foiling the visit.

On 30th January, the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), the Jewish Council of Australia, and the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC), announced that a joint legal complaint to have Herzog arrested or barred from entering Australia had been sent to the Australian Attorney-General Michelle Rowland, Home Affairs........

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