Israeli President Isaac Herzog has met with victims of the Bondi terror attack, saying their pain is felt by all Jewish people.
The head of state started his four-day Australian visit in Sydney on Monday morning by attending the scene of the anti-Semitic massacre which left 15 people dead and more than 40 others wounded.
Among those Mr Herzog comforted was local Jewish-Australian mother Yvonne, who was injured in the December 14 attack just metres away from the two gunmen.
She said his visit from “the other side of the world” was an important sign of support for Jewish communities in diaspora.
“It’s a visit of mourning. It’s really important,” she told reporters as she gripped her crutches.
“It shows solidarity. It made us realise no matter where we are in the world we’ll still be supported … that we’re not alone.”
Yvonne, who declined to provide her last name, shielded her two-year-old son near a donut shop as the mass shooters opened fire on the crowd.
She had left the Hanukkah festival seconds earlier.
After a wreath-laying ceremony at the Bondi memorial site, Mr Herzog placed a stone brought from Jerusalem at the memorial for the victims.
In accordance with Jewish tradition it represents “the endurance of memory” and “the unbreakable bond” between the living and the dead.
“When one Jew is hurt, all Jews feel their pain. That is why I am here today to embrace and console the bereaved families,” the president said in an emotional tribute in front of the Bondi Pavilion gates.
He said it was his country’s mission to always remain “protector of Jews” globally.
“Hatred that starts with the Jews, never ends with the Jews,” Mr Herzog said.
The president’s controversial visit has sparked plans for nationwide protests and prompted strong security arrangements – including helicopters and snipers – at Bondi.
One man was detained then moved on by police after shouting “shame, shame” at cars leaving the pavilion following Mr Herzog’s visit.
The Israeli president will meet with politicians and Jewish community leaders and is also expected to meet with families of those killed in the December 14 atrocity.
Critics who oppose the Israeli president setting foot on Australian soil have called for federal police to investigate him for alleged war crimes.
Unlike Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr Herzog is not subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.
He is granted customary immunity under international law as a visiting head of state but has sparked outrage for being photographed signing an Israeli artillery shell.
Mr Herzog later said the munition was a smokescreen rather than an explosive device, but described the signing as an error.
A United Nations inquiry found his comments after the Hamas terror attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 – in which he described Palestinians as an “entire nation out there that is responsible” – to reasonably be interpreted as incitement for genocide.
Israel has repeatedly denied allegations of genocide and Mr Herzog subsequently clarified his remarks, which he said were taken out of context.
When asked on Monday about his country’s bombing campaign of Gaza for the past two years and rallies planned against him, Mr Herzog said the planned protests were contrary to the Australian government’s policies.
“These protests undermine and delegitimise our right, our nation’s right … of its mere existence,” he told reporters in a tightly-controlled press conference.
“We did not seek that war … we should all fight terror together.”
The Jewish Council of Australia launched a major advertising campaign on Monday, printing a public letter condemning the visit signed by more than 1000 Jewish Australians.
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