Jewish Labor goes in to bat for Herzog

Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s upcoming visit to Australia has sparked a political divide, with Jewish Labor issuing an open letter defending the visit as some Labor and union activists plan protests.

Herzog will arrive in February at the invitation of the Governor-General, the Prime Minister and the Australian Jewish community following the Bondi Beach massacre that killed 15 people.

Jewish Labor, a group for ALP members who support Israel and the Jewish community, issued an open letter to Labor parliamentarians and those opposed to the visit.

“The invitation extended by the Australian Government to the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, to visit Australia in February comes at a moment of deep trauma for Australian Jewry, still reeling from the Bondi terrorist attack. For many in our community, this visit is not about geopolitics or partisanship. It is about solidarity, reassurance, and the simple human need to be seen and heard in a time of fear,” the letter stated.

The letter described Herzog as a former leader of the Israeli Labor Party who has spent much of his public life in dialogue with Palestinian leaders and in pursuit of coexistence.

“On a previous visit to Australia, President Herzog spoke with then Opposition Foreign Minister Penny Wong about international mechanisms to lift economic opportunity for Palestinians in Gaza — about Israel working with the UN and partners such as Australia to build the foundations of a future beyond despair. That is the language of practical peace-building,” the letter said.

“If the Australian Labor Party truly believes in a two-state solution, in reconciliation, and in the hard, unglamorous work of peace, then we should want to hear from leaders who have spent their lives trying to navigate that path — not shout them down.”

Jewish Labor said Jewish Australians were not asking the ALP to endorse any particular Israeli government or policy.

“We ourselves often oppose decisions of the right-wing Netanyahu government. Therefore, we are asking something far more basic and far more Australian: to stand with a community under strain, and to uphold the principle that dialogue is not a crime,” the letter stated.

“You do not build peace by refusing to speak to those who are trying to make it. You do not advance justice by silencing moderates. You do not strengthen democracy by rewarding the politics of veto and exclusion.”

Labor Friends of Palestine co-convener Peter Moss told The Australian that Herzog’s visit “makes a mockery of all the fine words about hate speech, social cohesion, unity and healing”.

“Isaac Herzog is a divisive inflammatory figure whose statements have been cited by the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry as allegedly inciting genocide,” Moss said.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesperson Senator Michaelia Cash said it was deeply disappointing that some Labor and union activists were planning protests aimed at shouting down the official visit.

“President Herzog’s visit is about empathy, reassurance and standing with Australian Jews at a moment of deep grief and fear,” Cash said.

Liberal MP Julian Leeser said people have a right to protest but not to retraumatise the Jewish community at Bondi or where synagogues have been torched.

Leeser called on the Prime Minister to disassociate himself from Labor Friends of Palestine, who he said continue to sow division in the community.

Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council executive director Colin Rubenstein said the council strongly welcomed the visit.

“We are disturbed and saddened by the groups and individuals determined to politicise this visit by labelling it ‘divisive’ and attempting to misrepresent Herzog’s words after October 7,” Rubenstein said.

“Our view is that, after Bondi, Herzog’s visit is not only appropriate, but an essential part of the healing process.”