Extract from ABC News
Ed Husic said it was "hard to reconcile" the Israeli president's presence in Australia with comments attributed to him. (ABC News: Ian Cutmore)
In short:
Labor MP Ed Husic has voiced his opposition to an upcoming visit to Australia by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Mr Herzog was invited by the governor-general at the request of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, following the Bondi terror attack targeting Jewish Australians.
What's next?
The visit is set to take place later this month.
Government MP Ed Husic has voiced his opposition to an upcoming visit to Australia by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Mr Husic, a regular critic of Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza, told the ABC's Afternoon Briefing he was "very uncomfortable" with the idea of the visit because he was "concerned that a figure like that doesn't necessarily enhance social cohesion".
The Israeli head of state received an official invitation to visit Australia following the Bondi terror attack targeting Jewish Australians. The invitation was issued by the governor-general at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's request.
Mr Husic, one of the few Muslim MPs in parliament and a former cabinet minister who was relegated to the backbench after the last election, did not directly criticise the prime minister for issuing the invitation, but said comments and actions attributed to Mr Herzog made it "hard to reconcile" his visit.
He cited "images I have seen of him signing bombs that were then dropped onto Palestinian homes" and a quote featured in South Africa's genocide case against Israel, which is currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The image in question was shared by Mr Herzog in late 2023 and shows him signing an artillery shell. Media reporting of the image did not indicate its target, but Israel has been accused of targeting civilians throughout the war.
In the comment from the ICJ case, dated two weeks after October 7, 2023, Mr Herzog says in reference to Gaza that "it is an entire nation out there that is responsible. It is not true this rhetoric about civilians not aware, not involved. It is absolutely not true.
"They could have risen up. They could have fought against the evil regime which took over Gaza in a coup d'etat."
Mr Herzog has said the remarks were "twisted … using very, very partial and fragmented quotes, with the intention of supporting an unfounded legal contention".
The ICJ has made an interim order finding a "real and imminent" risk of genocide. These do not constitute a finding of genocide, and a final decision could take years.
Israel denies allegations of genocide. Last year, a UN Human Rights Council inquiry found genocide was occurring.
Last week, Mr Albanese said Australians had "a right to express their views" in regard to Mr Herzog's visit but again welcomed it, saying Australia should "look towards uniting".
"President Herzog is coming particularly to engage with members of the Jewish community who are grieving the loss of 15 innocent lives," he said.
"People should recognise the solemn nature of the engagement that President Herzog will have with the community of Bondi in particular, and bear that in mind by the way that they respond over coming weeks."
Burns defends invitation
Labor MP Josh Burns, who is a Jewish Australian, told Afternoon Briefing he supported Australians' rights to protest "peacefully", but defended the invitation.
"I think following Bondi, the only thing we want to see is the community being able to mourn … [Mr Herzog] is not involved in the government, he's much like the governor-general in Australia, representing the state.
"There was an Israeli national who ran towards Ahmed Al-Ahmed as he was disarming the gunman at Bondi, and he was injured in the process. Australia then assisted in the medical evacuation to Israel.
"And so there is close connections obviously between the events in Bondi, and that's why the president was extended the invitation."
Last week, Labor minister Anne Aly repeatedly declined to welcome Mr Herzog's visit in an interview on ABC radio, saying only that it was "protocol" for foreign leaders to be invited after attacks where their citizens had been targeted.
In a subsequent statement, she said she understood "the significance of the visit" and that she welcomed "anything that assists" national unity.
The Greens and several crossbenchers have opposed Mr Herzog's visit.
Mr Husic said the Israeli president should use his visit to advocate peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
"I do invite Mr Herzog, if he has thoughts about how to advance peace in that part of the world that can involve the coexistence of Israelis and Palestinians, then he should be given the chance to express them …
"I am not comfortable with his presence, but if he turns it into one that can demonstrate a path of peace, we will see if he is able to do that."
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