Legal groups say Australia is bound to investigate Israeli President Herzog over his role in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
Three Australian and Palestinian legal groups have formally called on the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to investigate Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s role in alleged war crimes, and he is due to visit Australia next month.
The organizations said on Friday they had written to AFP to “immediately alert” to their concerns in light of President Isaac Herzog’s serious and credible criminal charges of inciting and advocating genocide during Israel’s “military offensive” in Gaza from October 7, 2023.
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The Australian Center for International Justice (ACIJ), Al-Haq, and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights included a 10-page submission detailing the allegations against Herzog as well as Australia’s obligations under international law and its own domestic law.
“Where credible international findings indicate incitement to genocide, and where domestic responsibility has not arisen, Australia has both the legal authority and responsibility to act,” ACIJ executive director Rawan Araf said in a statement.
Erraf said the Australian government would show a “blatant disregard” for its international legal obligations by “allowing Herzog to enter Australia without an AFP investigation”.
Al-Haq director general Shawan Jabarin noted that Herzog said there were “no innocent civilians” in Gaza and that he was the head of state because Israel killed 23,000 children and 1,000 babies “before their first birthday.”
“An IVF clinic was also bombed, destroying 4,000 human embryos and hope for future life,” Jabarin added.
Herzog will visit Sydney on February 7, The Times of Israel newspaper said, following an invitation from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last month. Mass shooting which targeted a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach and killed 15 people.
Albanese told reporters in December that the Australian government had invited Herzog “to honor and remember the victims of the Bondi anti-Semitic terror attack and to support Jewish Australians and the Australian Jewish community at this time”.
However, Ohad Kozminski, executive member of the Jewish Council of Australia, told Australian public broadcaster SBS last month that Herzog’s visit after the Bondi attack “will only increase tensions and divide our community”, as he is the “head of a foreign country committing genocide”.
Australia’s federal parliament has introduced tough new gun reform laws in the wake of the attack, as well as hate speech reforms, raising concerns from advocates about some of the far-reaching provisions.
The Jewish Council of Australia said in a statement that “some of the most controversial provisions” had been removed before the laws were quickly passed earlier this week, while others remained, including “enhanced ministerial powers to deport migrants based on arbitrary decision-making”.
The council said on Wednesday that 60,000 people had signed a petition calling on Australian leaders to “reject attempts to weaponise Jewish suffering, erode civil liberties or pit communities against each other following the anti-Semitic attack in Bondi”.
“One month later, instead of a space for mourning and healing, we are seeing our grief and anger turned into political weapons to demonize the Palestinian, Muslim, immigrant and anti-genocide protest movement,” Kozminski said in a statement.
“Jewish security is not strengthened by hasty political deals or parliamentary chaos,” Kozminski said.
“Peaceful, consistent measures will be taken to combat anti-Semitism and strengthen it by protecting all communities from racism and violence, including Muslims, Palestinians and migrant Australians who are being unfairly targeted in the wake of this tragedy,” he added.