Israeli President Isaac Herzog will arrive in Australia on Monday.
The Albanese Government arranged the visit as a show of solidarity with the Jewish community after theBondi terror attack.
Herzog has been named in a UN investigation into alleged genocide in Gaza, prompting calls for his arrest from advocacy groups and some politicians.
Nationwide rallies have been organised in protest of the visit, with thousands expected at a major Sydney demonstration, despite warnings of potential arrests under new police powers.
Isaac Herzog
Herzog is Israel’s President, a largely ceremonial role separate from the Prime Minister position held by Benjamin Netanyahu.
The President serves as head of state and is elected by the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) to represent national unity and core values.
Herzog entered the Knesset in 2003 as a Labor Party member and led the party from 2013 to 2018.
He was elected President in 2021. His father, Chaim Herzog, held the role from 1983 to 1993.
Invitation
In the wake of the December Bondi terror attack – when 15 people were killed at a Chanukah celebration – Albanese invited Herzog to Australia to mourn with and support the Jewish community.
Peak Jewish bodies have welcomed Herzog’s visit. Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said it “will lift the spirits of a pained community”.
However, some smaller Jewish groups oppose the visit. The Jewish Council of Australia says the Government is using “Jewish grief as a political prop and backdrop.”
Legal challenge
Australia is a party to the Genocide Convention and the Rome Statute, which require states to prevent and punish genocide and other war crimes, and has put those rules into its own criminal code.
In September 2025, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry named Herzog as one of several Israeli leaders who “incited the commission of genocide” in Gaza through public statements.
Some legal and human rights groups argue this means Australia must investigate or arrest him under its obligations.
The Australian Federal Police said they sought legal advice on this and will not arrest Herzog or open a case.
Herzog was also photographed in December 2023 writing “I rely on you” on an artillery shell intended for Gaza. This week, he told Nine newspapers that the incident was a tasteless “error”.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia “always considers legal advice in relation to our obligation” but noted that “Israel will be judged by the International Court of Justice on its compliance with the Genocide Convention.”
Protests
Pro-Palestinian rallies have been organised across the country in protest of Herzog’s visit.
Your contribution ensures The Daily Aus can continue doing the work you love.
I want to give $10 monthly to help TDA keep doing the news.
Your details:
Separately, a 19-year-old Sydney man was charged with making a death threat online targeting Herzog. He was arrested on Thursday and was refused bail.
In Sydney, where the Israeli President is expected to arrive tomorrow, thousands are expected to march despite NSW Police warning about potential arrests under extended protest bans in the city.
The restrictions, originally granted after the Bondi attack, allow police to shut down protests for an initial period of three months, with options to extend.
In addition, NSW Premier Chris Minns announced the visit would be classified as a ‘Major Event’, granting police powers usually reserved for major sporting or city-wide events.
These additional police powers mean demonstrators in NSW aren’t protected from certain offences (such as obstructing traffic), which are usually waived in a permitted protest. However, protest organisers said they would challenge the powers in the NSW Supreme Court on Monday.
Court challenge
Palestine Action Group spokesman Josh Lees said the NSW Government “is using emergency-style powers to shield a visiting head of state from public scrutiny and accountability.”
The group will file a legal challenge on Monday morning, arguing the powers are excessive, unjustified and unlawful.
Lees accused the State Premier Chris Minns of imposing “sweeping” restrictions across Sydney, “in an attempt to shut down dissent... instead of defending human rights”.
Labor comments
Some members of both the federal and NSW Labor governments have expressed opposition to the visit.
Federal Labor MP Ed Husic told the ABC he was “very uncomfortable” with Herzog’s visit, and was “concerned that a figure like that doesn't necessarily enhance social cohesion”.
Three NSW Labor MPs have said they would join the protests, defying police requests.
However, a number of state and federal Labor MPs have expressed support for the visit.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said it was important to listen to the requests of the Australian Jewish community “in the wake of the worst on-soil terrorist attack, an antisemitic attack, that we have seen” in Australia’s history.
Albanese has defended his invitation to Herzog, saying the visit is about supporting Australia’s Jewish community “at what has been a very difficult time.”
Other parties
Greens Senator David Shoebridge criticised Labor for “providing a red carpet for a man who incited genocide”.
Earlier this week, Shoebridge failed to pass a motion he proposed in the Senate to rescind Herzog’s invitation.
Senate Opposition leader Michaelia Cash accused the Greens of “parliamentary theatrics”. Cash told SBS Herzog's visit “is of vital importance to the Jewish community”.
Liberal Senator James Paterson said it was the “right thing for the Government to have invited President Herzog.”
