Israeli occupation president’s Australia visit triggers mass protests

On Feb 9, 2026 5:09 PM

CANBERRA, Feb. 09 (YPA) – Thousands of Australians demonstrated on Monday in a number of Australian cities and towns to protest the visit of the head of the Israeli occupation entity, Yitzhak Herzog, who arrived in the country on a tour that includes several cities, at the official invitation of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, allegedly to express solidarity with the Jewish community after the mass shooting incident that occurred last year.

Herzog’s visit followed the shooting incident in the Bondi Beach area on December 14, which resulted in the death of 15 people, but sparked a wave of anger on the Australian street, where protesters accuse Herzog of complicity in the killing of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.

Groups supporting the Palestinian cause organized simultaneous protests across the country, most notably in Sydney, where thousands rallied in a square in the central business district, raising pro-Palestine slogans and condemning the Israeli aggression on Gaza.

The demonstrations witnessed a heavy security deployment, including helicopter flights and mounted police patrols, while security forces used pepper spray and tear gas to disperse protesters who tried to bypass the security cordon, resulting in clashes and the arrest of a number of participants.

In the same context, the Australian government on Thursday rejected human rights demands to arrest Herzog during his four-day visit. However, international lawyer and member of the UN International Independent Investigation Commission, Chris Sidoti, publicly called for his arrest upon arrival or cancellation of the invitation addressed to him, considering that the Australian prime minister’s invitation to Herzog was a “huge mistake”.

An independent UN Commission of inquiry concluded in 2025 that” Israel ” has been committing genocide in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war, noting that Herzog and a number of other Israeli leaders were involved in inciting genocide against Palestinians.