![\"b6a78d92e80401c4ddfc6489cc914ba6\"](\"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/b6a78d92e80401c4ddfc6489cc914ba6.jpg\" "\\"b6a78d92e80401c4ddfc6489cc914ba6\\"")
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On local time, 9, Israeli President Herzog began a four-day state visit to Australia in Sydney to mourn the victims of the Bondi Beach shooting. According to him, the visit included both mourning for the deceased and condolences to the families of the victims, as well as conveying messages of friendship between the two countries and efforts to restore bilateral relations to normal. However, Australian society\u2018s attitude towards Herzog\u2018s visit is polarized. Supporters believe that the visit will boost morale in the local Jewish community and help to recalibrate the tense relations between the two countries. Opponents, on the other hand, held protests in about 30 cities across Australia on the 9th.<\/p>\n
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on the 9th, Herzog arrived in Sydney that morning and went to the Bondi Pavilion under tight police protection to offer wreaths and stones in tribute to the victims of the Bondi Beach shooting on December 14 last year. \u201cThese stones from Jerusalem will forever remain in Bondi as a sacred memorial to the victims,\u201d he said during his speech in the rain. Herzog urged people to condemn anti-Semitism when it is discovered. \u201cAustralian anti-Semitism is not a Jewish problem, but an Australian problem and a global problem,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said that over the next few days, Herzog will visit Jewish communities across Australia, attend important community events with Jewish community leaders and meet with several senior politicians. Rifkin, co-CEO of the Australian Jewish Executive Council, said Herzog\u2018s visit \u201cwill lift the morale of a suffering community\u201d and that \u201cthe President knows how to comfort and inspire our community in the darkest moments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rifkin also said he hoped Herzog\u2019s visit \u201cwill facilitate the necessary bilateral readjustment between the two historic allies.\u201d Herzog\u2019s visit came at a time when bilateral relations between Israel and Australia were unusually tense, the Washington Post said on the 9th. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel\u2019s prime minister, posted on social media hours after the Bondi Beach shooting to accuse Albanese of \u201ccalling for the State of Palestine, which undoubtedly fuels anti-Semitic sentiment.\u201d After Australia recognized the State of Palestine in August last year, Benjamin Netanyahu described Albanese as a \u201cweak politician\u201d who \u201cbetrayed Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Israeli newspaper The Land said on the 9th that Herzog\u2018s visit was an invitation from the Governor-General of Australia, the prime minister and the Jewish community to express support for the Jews of Australia and strengthen bilateral relations. But the Israeli Times reported on the 9th that the visit provoked widespread opposition in Australia. \u201cThere will be a national protest today calling for the arrest of Herzog, who has been identified by the United Nations Commission of Investigation as instigating the genocide in Gaza,\u201d the Palestinian Action Organization said in a statement on the 9th. However, the Australian police have ruled out the possibility of his arrest.<\/p>\n
Anti-Israeli groups are not the only ones opposed to Herzog\u2018s visit. The Australian Jewish Council said he was not welcome because he was suspected of participating in \u201ccontinuous destruction of Gaza.\u201d More than 1,000 Australian Jews signed an open letter saying that \u201cto still welcome Herzog\u2018s visit after the Bondi Beach shooting incident is a betrayal of the Jewish community, multicultural Australia, and all those who support Palestinian human rights and international law.\u201d The letter was published as a full-page advertisement in the Australian Times and Sydney Morning Herald on September.<\/p>\n
New Zealand\u2018s Asia-Pacific Report website reported on the 9th that hundreds of thousands of people are expected to hold protest marches in 30 cities across Australia, including all state capitals, on the same day. The Guardian earlier on the 9th reported that thousands of people had already gathered outside Sydney Town Hall. The Australian News Network said on the 9th that Sydney has now deployed thousands of police officers throughout the city. Governor Mings of New South Wales said on the 9th: \u201cWe need to ensure that there will be no conflict on the streets of Sydney. If there is, it will send a terrible signal to the rest of the world and the rest of the country.\u201d Australian police said they would also adopt stricter security measures during Herzog\u2018s visits to Melbourne and Canberra.<\/p>\n
According to The Australian on the 9th, Herzog expressed a \u201csimple but highly destructive\u201d view on the possible protests during his visit to Australia. \u201cIn most cases, the demonstrations you see and hear are aimed at undermining and denying the most basic survival rights of our country and my people,\u201d he said. \u201cThis behavior is contrary to what Australia has said and done in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the British Guardian, on the 9th, Australian Senator Lydia Thorpe told protesters in Melbourne: \u201cWe have all witnessed with our own eyes the famine and mass slaughter in Gaza. Yet we are asked to maintain respect for the killers.\u201d Another Senator, Mehryn Farucci, waved handcuffs and said Herzog \u201cshould have been arrested as soon as he set foot on this land.\u201d She said: \u201cI never dreamed we would have fallen so low. The Albanian government has lost our respect.\u201d<\/p>\n
The British Guardian reported on the 9th that the protests escalated to violence. In Melbourne, some protesters were dragged away by police. In Sydney, police clashed with protesters, pepper spray was sprayed on protesters, and at least 15 people were arrested by police. Australian MP Anthony D\u2018Adam said he saw police knocking protesters to the ground, and police on motorcycles crashing into protesters, \u201cthe police\u2018s reaction seems completely excessive.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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