Israeli president ends a fraught Australia visit to comfort Jews as Gaza war protests follow

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Israeli President Isaac Herzog ended a contentious four-day visit to Australia on Thursday that brought comfort to Sydney’s Jewish community traumatized by a recent antisemitic mass shooting, but also attracted large-scale demonstrations protesting the civilian toll of the Gaza war.

Herzog has been dogged by protesters who label him a war criminal as he visited Sydney, the national capital Canberra and Melbourne in the first Australian visit by an Israeli head of state in six years.

Authorities estimated 10,000 protesters shut down several downtown Melbourne streets with a rally Thursday evening as Herzog left the country. The largest protest of his visit was mostly peaceful, with only a single demonstrator facing a charge of assaulting a police officer, a police statement said.

Earlier, Herzog challenged protesters to target Iran, which he described as an “empire of evil” that had killed tens of thousands of its own citizens.

Addressing a Jewish community gathering in Melbourne under tight police security, he referred to Iran’s ambassador to Australia being expelled six months ago over allegations the Revolutionary Guard had directed antisemitic arson attacks in Melbourne and Sydney. Australia’s two largest cities are home to 85% of the nation’s Jewish population.

“I say to all those protesters outside, go protest in front of the Iranian embassy or whichever embassy they have,” Herzog said.

Earlier in his Australian visit, Herzog said such protests were mostly attempts to “undermine and delegitimize” Israel’s right to exist.

Herzog and the Australian government agree he was invited to support a community reeling from a Dec. 14 attack, allegedly inspired by the Islamic State group, on a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach that left 15 people dead.

Zionist Federation of Australia President Jeremy Leibler, who accompanied Herzog during his Australian travels, appealed to protesters to consider the grieving Jewish community.

“The community in Sydney is feeling extremely uplifted and seen following his visits,” Leibler said.

Herzog’s critics take issue with another stated purpose of his visit. Herzog told The Associated Press in a statement last week his visit would “reinvigorate” bilateral relations and “dispel many of the lies and misinformation spread about Israel over the last two years.”

“Now that means his visit is not a visit to mourn, but it’s a visit that is political, that is in fact propaganda,” Australian human rights lawyer Chris Sidoti said. “So his view seems to be different from the Australian government’s view as to the purposes of his visit.”

Sidoti was one of three experts appointed by the U.N.’s Human Rights Council to an inquiry that reported in September last year that Herzog, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had incited the commission of genocide in Gaza.

Bilateral relations have been strained over the plight of Palestinian civilians since the Israel-Hamas war began in 2023, particularly since Australia decided to recognize a Palestinian state six months ago.

Herzog said on Thursday his discussions with Australian political leaders and “opinion shapers” this week had been “conducted with candor, open-mindedness and a great deal of mutual respect.”

“I found serious partners who are willing to hold serious conversations and address the vile rhetoric, the misinformation, the shameful antisemitism head on,” Herzog said.

Police said a planned visit on Thursday to the ruins of Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue, which Iran is accused of torching in late 2024, had been cancelled due to security concerns.

Anti-Herzog graffiti left overnight at a Melbourne University campus was removed early Thursday.

“The university stands firmly against antisemitism. Racism, hatred and violence have no place in our society or our nation. We became aware of the offensive graffiti on the edge of our Parkville (suburban) campus this morning and immediately sent cleaners who swiftly removed it,” a university statement said.

On his first day in Australia on Monday, Herzog laid a wreath at Bondi Beach. He also met survivors and bereaved families.

He addressed the media at the Australian Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday, describing his visit as an opportunity to reset bilateral relations on a “new beginning and a better future.”