The Australian government has confirmed it will not arrest Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog during his upcoming visit to the country to commemorate the victims of the anti-Semitic attack on Sydney's Bondi Beach, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the four-day visit, which begins on Monday, was at the invitation of the Australian government and in line with the wishes of the Jewish community.
"President Herzog is coming to Australia to pay tribute to the victims of Bondi and to support the local Jewish community following the deadliest terrorist and anti-Semitic attack in our history. territory," Wong said.
The December 14 attack killed 15 people after two attackers opened fire on people celebrating the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah on a beach.
Chris Sidoti, a human rights lawyer and member of the UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry into Human Rights Violations in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, has called for the invitation to be withdrawn or Herzog to be arrested. The commission, which reported in 2025, said Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and that Israeli leaders, including Herzog, have been accused of inciting such acts. Israel has dismissed the allegations as "biased and untrue."
Sidoti called Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's invitation a "bad decision" that should be revoked in a timely manner. Pro-Palestinian activists are planning protests, including in Sydney, but local police have already banned them.
On Monday, federal police charged a 19-year-old Sydney resident with making "death threats" online against a foreign head of state, without confirming whether Herzog was the target.