Labor activists urge Albanese to withdraw invitation for Israel president Isaac Herzog

A group of rank-and-file Labor party members has urged the Albanese government to rescind its invitation for Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, to visit Australia, voicing outrage over his country’s military bombardment of Gaza. Labor Friends of Palestine said that, if Herzog does travel, federal police should investigate him for his role in what they alleged was "incitement of genocide" and called for his invitation to be cancelled.

A collection of smaller Jewish community groups also wrote to the prime minister this week asking for the invitation to be retracted, saying his visit risked "exacerbating racism and antisemitism" because he was "not a neutral or ceremonial head of state". Other mainstream Jewish community groups have welcomed the visit.

Albanese said on 24 December that he had requested the governor-general formally invite Herzog to visit in early 2026; Herzog accepted the invitation and said he had also been invited by the Zionist Federation of Australia. The prime minister said it was "entirely appropriate for the head of state to visit", and Herzog is Israel’s head of state, while executive power rests with the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Key Topics

Politics, Isaac Herzog, Anthony Albanese, Labor Party, Israel, Gaza