Israeli President Herzog invited to Australia following Sydney Hanukkah attack

Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday and was invited to visit the country. The two spoke following last week’s massacre in Sydney, which took place during a Hanukkah candle-lighting event at Bondi Beach.

According to a statement from the President’s Residence, Herzog and Albanese exchanged mutual condolences, expressed their pain over the victims of the attack, and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded.

Albanese told Herzog that he should expect to receive an official invitation to visit Australia. During the conversation, the president emphasized, "The importance of taking all legal measures to combat the unprecedented rise in antisemitism, extremism, and jihadist terror."

The Australian prime minister has faced heavy criticism following the Sydney massacre, with accusations that he did not do enough to prevent the rise in antisemitic incidents in the country since Oct. 7, 2023. Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli, who arrived at the scene of the massacre, said in an interview with Kan Reshet Bet that the Australian government is “hostile to Israel.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also linked the massacre to Australia’s support for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Members of the city’s Jewish community have also leveled accusations against the Australian prime minister. At a memorial rally held a week after the massacre, which Albanese attended, chants were heard including: “Shame on you,” “You are not welcome,” “Supporter of jihad, you supported the intifada.”

On Dec. 14, two terrorists, a father and son, opened fire on participants who had arrived at Bondi Beach in Sydney for the lighting of the first Hanukkah candle. Fifteen people were murdered in the massacre.