Israeli president lays stones at Bondi, meets families amid protests

Isaac Herzog stood at the Bondi Park memorial this morning, placing two small stones from Jerusalem and laying a wreath as he met families and survivors of the December Hanukkah shooting that killed 15 people. The Israeli president said he had come to “embrace and console the bereaved families” and added, “When one Jew is hurt, all Jews feel their pain.”

The visit to Bondi Beach, the first stop on a four-day official trip to Australia, was at once a private act of condolence and a public display of solidarity. The shoreline and nearby park still bear visible reminders of the attack: a large menorah remains on display, chalk drawings cover the bridge where the gunman acted, and police patrols and aerial security have become part of the everyday scene. Witnesses described a tense atmosphere as the president paused among flowers, messages and the makeshift memorials left by mourners.

Herzog’s trip, invited by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and scheduled to include meetings in Canberra and Melbourne with senior officials, is intended to comfort a grieving Jewish community and to shore up diplomatic ties. “For the victim families and for the survivors [of the Bondi attack], it means a great deal,” said Alex Ryvchin, co-chair executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. “His visit will lift the spirits of a pained community and we hope will lead to a much-needed recalibration of bilateral relations between two historic allies.”

But the visit has provoked sharp division across Australia. Organizers said protests were planned in as many as 30 cities nationwide, with the main demonstration outside Sydney Town Hall expected to draw up to 5,000 people. “We will be there in huge numbers for a peaceful protest to say Herzog is not welcome,” said Josh Lees of the Palestinian Action Group in an Instagram post.

Authorities moved to limit disruption. New South Wales police said they would deploy about 3,000 officers during the visit and warned that protesters risked arrest if they moved beyond designated protest squares. Already, one man was arrested on allegations of abusing passengers on a bus and charged with “stalk/intimidate and behaving in an offensive manner in a public place.” A Sydney teenager was granted bail after allegedly posting social media threats to kill Herzog and calling for the “extinction of the Jewish community.”

Critics of the invitation argue Herzog’s presence inflames tensions because of broader disputes over Israel’s actions in Gaza. Some activists have described him as a war criminal or said he should not have been welcomed. Federal Labor backbencher Ed Husic said it was “really hard for me to reconcile the vision of him signing bombs that went on to be dropped on Palestinian homes … with the notion of social cohesion.” Herzog has acknowledged past controversy over signing an artillery shell in 2023, saying, “It was something that was lacking taste. I agree that I may have made an error.”

Reporters at the memorial noted that questioners cited protesters’ claimed figures, “70,000 killed in Gaza, including 20,000 children”, when asking about the planned demonstrations; those figures were presented by protesters and are not independently verified here. Visuals at the site included an unfurled flag bearing an image of an IDF soldier beside a Star of David, underscoring how symbolism and grief have become intertwined in public displays.

Herzog’s role is largely ceremonial, but the visit carries weight: it aims to comfort a community reeling from an antisemitic attack while navigating a polarized national debate about foreign policy, protest rights and public safety. In the days ahead his meetings with Australian leaders will test whether that narrow mission can withstand the broader conflicts shadowing his arrival.