Australia should not provide a platform for Israel’s security narrative |
Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Australia was largely tied to the Bondi memorial. However, in a Q&A session with Jewish students attending Moriah College in Sydney, the tone shifted to Israel’s security narrative.
“I know that the demonstrators and protesters who are cursing us, saying the biggest lies and affirmations against our nation, do not want to hear this, but I believe that the silent majority of Australians definitely want to hear and move back on track,” Herzog stated, conflating criticism of Israel and opposition to Israel’s genocide with antisemitism.
Opposition to Herzog’s visit has been weeks in the making. Referencing Herzog’s statements that incite genocide against Palestinians, the Jewish Council of Australia issued a statement partly reading, “We refuse to let our grief for the Bondi massacre be used to legitimise a leader who has played an active role in the ongoing destruction of Gaza, including the murder of tens of thousands of Palestinians, and the displacement of millions.”
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