Welcoming a war criminal: Herzog signals death of social cohesion

As protests erupt nationwide against the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Australians are raising their voices against a war criminal welcomed by a government determined to suppress dissent in the name of social cohesion, writes Max Gross.

I WISH TO congratulate Prime Minister Anthony “Albo” Albanese and NSW State Premier Chris Minns for driving a stake through the heart of “social cohesion” in Australia on behalf of Israel and the Zionist lobby.

The obscenely-timed state visit of Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, invited cynically by the fanatical local Zionist lobby and then formally by the submissive Australian Government, supposedly to provide comfort to the Australian Jewish community after the massacre of 15 people, most of them Jews, at a Hannukkah beach party at Bondi in Sydney, is not only morally bereft but politically tone deaf.

Let’s review.

On 14 December 2025, as if out of nowhere, a couple of gunmen, apparently inspired by ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), targeted a Hannukkah-by-the-Sea event organised by Jewish extremist cult Chabad.

Shared with us from Sydney happening now. He had his hands up. pic.twitter.com/Ubdo00Y15j
— David Shoebridge (@DavidShoebridge) February 9, 2026

Interestingly, the two killers were father-and-son Indian nationals — the former a fruit shop owner, the latter an unemployed bricklayer. The father, shot dead by cops, was a permanent Australian resident, his son an Aussie citizen, now on remand in prison and charged with 59 offences, including 15 murders.

Unlike the failed 26 January bomb attack on a mostly Indigenous gathering in Boorloo, Perth, to commemorate Invasion Day, the Bondi attack was immediately declared terrorism by the Government, by the mainstream media and by the Zionist lobby vultures.

Herzog’s visit is scheduled to run from 9 to 12 February. And run he must, as protests throughout Australia are also scheduled. I guess Izzy will cautiously sneak around our wide brown land, showering his benign presence and Zionazi grace on all and sundry, molly-coddled by government and provided with cover stories by the mainstream media, while Israel continues its ceaseless destruction of Palestinian culture, history and people.

The International Court of Justice's order on the genocide in Gaza has confirmed Herzog’s complicity and the United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded that he ‘incited the commission of genocide’ against Palestinians in Gaza. Infamous photographs of Herzog signing bombs to be dropped on Gaza are familiar to anyone following this appalling saga.

To quote from The Hind Rajab Foundation:

In a historic joint action, the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), the Jewish Council of Australia and the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) have lodged a formal legal complaint to have Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrested or barred from entering Australia. The groups, represented by renowned barrister Robert Richter KC, allege that Herzog has incited genocide and aided and abetted war crimes, rendering him unfit to enter the country under Australian law.

The 30-page submission, sent yesterday to Attorney-General Michelle Rowland, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and the Australian Federal Police (AFP), warns that the President’s visit is “highly inflammatory”. The groups are calling on the AFP to initiate a criminal investigation of Herzog under the Commonwealth Criminal Code.

Selective context: Why Isaac Herzog’s visit deepens Australia’s moral failure

Calls to ‘consider the context’ of President Herzog’s visit obscure Israel’s ban on dozens of NGOs in Gaza and the West Bank.

In the words of former Human Rights Commissioner Chris Sidoti:

“...Herzog is a political leader, not a religious leader. He is divisive in Israel and his visit could be divisive in Australia. If the Prime Minister wanted to support the Jewish community, he would have done better to invite a respected Jewish religious leader.”

But let Herzog’s own words about the Gaza genocide speak for themselves:

“It is an entire nation out there that is responsible. It is not true, this rhetoric about civilians not aware, not involved. It’s absolutely not true.”

Hear that? Every Palestinian man, woman and child is a legitimate target. But I suppose Israel’s victims in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem should be grateful that Izzy confirmed Palestine is indeed a nation.

Meanwhile, here in my somnolent home state of New South Wales, where Herzog’s plane landed, Chris Minns is threatening protesters that police will not allow “conflict on Sydney streets”. That conflict is, obviously, being stoked by Minns and his Zionist lobby backers. He has even warned people to stay away from Sydney’s CBD.

Let’s hear it again for social cohesion!

The Guardian reported on 7 February:

The NSW Government has invoked special powers ahead of the Israeli President’s visit next week...

On Saturday, Minns said the Government had declared the President’s visit would fall under the state’s “major event” legislation. This allows police to put additional measures in place to manage crowd safety, maintain separation between different groups, and “reduce the risk of confrontation in busy parts of the city”, the Government said in a statement.

Government pressed on legal implications of Isaac Herzog visit

As Israeli President Isaac Herzog begins his visit to Australia, the Federal Government faces mounting legal pressure over its obligations under international and domestic law.

And all these continuing government threats and all these draconian laws and all these attempts at suppressing public protests just to provide cover for a foreign politician complicit in genocide.

Many Aussies are demanding the arrest and prosecution of the Israeli President on arrival but, as Don Rothwell, a professor of international law at the Australian National University, points out:

“But as soon as prosecution commenced, lawyers for someone like Isaac Herzog would claim before a court that... as sitting head of state, he enjoys what’s called head of state immunity.”

So, there is that. Getting away with mass murder has never been easier.

Meanwhile, Zionazi forces continue multiple attacks across devastated Gaza, slaughtering at least 574 people, with 1,518 wounded, since the so-called 10 October “ceasefire”.

The Australian Government will no doubt again express its “concern”, or possibly it will be “very concerned”. Hard to tell the difference, really, because Albo never actually does anything more than bleat.

My marching days are over until my knee replacement op is done and dusted, but if you are able-bodied and have a functioning moral compass… GO! Protest rallies are being organised everywhere and there is sure to be one nearby. Not only Herzog but also our governments – federal and state – must be sent a loud and clear message.

Silence is not only acquiescence, but it is also complicity.

Oh, and just one more thing. If you do join one of these rallies, stay alert and be aware of the Zionist lobby and actual neo-Nazi provocateurs. As usual, they will be buzzing around and they will be protected by cops. Shalom!