February 11, 2026 | 11:34 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - On Monday, February 9, 2026, Israeli President Isaac Herzog was met with two very different reactions in Australia: large-scale protests by activists who see him as a war criminal and a cordial welcome from a government keen to demonstrate support for its bereaved Jewish population, as reported by CNN.
Following the nation's worst terror incident, which claimed 15 lives at a Hanukkah celebration close to Bondi Beach in Sydney, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese extended an invitation to Herzog to visit as a show of solidarity with Jewish Australians.
The Australian government has emphasized the importance of social cohesiveness several times in the weeks following the attack on December 14. However, many Australians are incensed by Albanese's choice to welcome Herzog, the head of state of a nation that Israel's government says committed genocide in Gaza, and there have even been calls for the visitor's arrest.
As lawyers for the Palestine Action Group argued in court for their right to protest Herzog's visit inside an area subject to new government limitations, Herzog lay a wreath at Bondi Pavilion, close to the massacre site, after landing in Sydney on Monday.
Australia, like many other countries, has seen severe tensions over Israel's conflict in Gaza that have led to rallies; up to 30 were scheduled nationally on Monday to commemorate Herzog's visit.
The biggest took place outside Sydney Town Hall on Monday night, when thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators battled with police, who used pepper spray to scatter the gathering and made several arrests. The "brutal attack by the NSW (New South Wales) Police against a massive peaceful protest" was denounced in a statement by the Palestine Action Group.
In a press conference, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna stated that 27 persons had been arrested by police, 10 of whom had been assaulted by officers and 17 of whom had disregarded orders to move and other connected offenses.
A group of Muslims praying in the street appears to have been forcibly dispersed by police in one protest video. A statement describing the police actions as "shocking, deeply disturbing, and entirely unacceptable" was issued by the Australian National Imams Council in reaction.
Prominent Australian Jewish organizations, such as the Australian Jewish Association and the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, have denounced the protests and praised Herzog's visit.
Yvonne, a survivor of the Bondi Beach tragedy who chose not to reveal her last name, said she was comforted by the Israeli president's visit to Sydney. As gunmen opened fire on the gathering, she and her 2-year-old son took cover beneath a picnic table and managed to survive the assault.
“It means we’re not alone. He’s come from the other side of the world,” she said of Herzog. “It means wherever we are in the world, we are supported by Israel. It means a lot.”
Read: Australia: Israeli President Visits Bondi Beach Attack Site
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