Sydney, Australia – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called for peaceful expression during protests coinciding with Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit, following a wave of demonstrations and heightened tensions in the wake of the December 14th, 2025, Bondi Beach shooting. The Prime Minister’s statement came as thousands demonstrated against Herzog’s visit on Monday, with some protesters displaying signs labeling him a “terrorist,” according to reports from Mako News.
Herzog’s visit is officially intended to acknowledge the deadly attack on the Bondi Beach synagogue during a Hanukkah celebration, which resulted in the deaths of 15 people, including children and Holocaust survivors, and injured dozens more. It represents Australia’s largest terror attack outside of Israel since the 1994 bombing of the Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires. The visit also aims to rebuild relations between the Australian government and the Jewish community, which perceived the government as failing to adequately address rising antisemitism leading up to the attack.
The protests, however, have been largely focused on the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Demonstrators carried Palestinian and Lebanese flags, and directed their anger at Herzog’s presence as a representative of Israel. Police responded to the protests, with reports of forceful tactics used against demonstrators, as detailed by Mako News. Albanese, in an interview with Australian radio station “Triple M,” expressed shock at the violence and emphasized that Australians want the killing to stop, “whether it’s Israelis or Palestinians,” but do not want the conflict imported into Australia, as reported by Ynet.
The visit included a joint appearance by Herzog and Albanese at a Chabad synagogue, a move intended to signal solidarity with the Jewish community and demonstrate a commitment to repairing fractured relationships. Following the Bondi Beach attack, some members of the Jewish community had considered Albanese a persona non grata. Kan News reported that Albanese addressed concerns about Jewish Australians feeling unsafe in Sydney.
In a related development, the chair of the World Zionist Organization, Yaakov Hagoel, and the chair of the Jewish Agency, Doron Almog, have formally recognized the victims of the Bondi Beach shooting as victims of hostility motivated by antisemitism. This recognition, enabled by recent legislative amendments, does not confer social rights but provides a symbolic acknowledgement of the attack’s ideological underpinnings. i24NEWS detailed this recognition ceremony.
Twenty-seven protesters were arrested during the demonstrations, according to local police. The situation remains tense as Herzog continues his visit, with no immediate indication of further planned protests or government response beyond Albanese’s call for peaceful expression. The long-term impact of the visit on Australian-Israeli relations and domestic community cohesion remains to be seen.
