Australian, Palestinian lawyers seek police probe of Israeli president

Three Australian and Palestinian legal groups have formally called on the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to investigate Israeli President Isaac Herzog for his role in alleged war crimes amid reports he will visit Australia early next month.

The organisations said on Friday that they had written to “urgently alert” the AFP of their concerns “in light of serious and credible criminal allegations of incitement to genocide and advocating genocide” by President Isaac Herzog during Israel’s “military onslaught” in Gaza since October 7, 2023.

The Australian Centre for International Justice (ACIJ), Al-Haq, and the 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 accountability has not occurred, Australia has both the legal authority and responsibility to act,” Rawan Arraf, executive director at the ACIJ, said in a statement.

Arraf also said that the Australian government would be showing a “blatant disregard” for its international legal obligations “by allowing Herzog to enter Australia without an AFP investigation”.

Shawan Jabarin, the general director of Al-Haq, noted that Herzog has said that there are “no uninvolved civilians in Gaza” and was the head of state as Israel killed 23,000 children and 1,000 babies “before their first birthday” in Gaza.

“Even the IVF clinic was bombed, destroying 4,000 human embryos and the hope of future life,” Jabarin added.

Herzog is due to visit Sydney on February 7, The Times of Israel newspaper reports, at the invitation of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the wake of last month’s mass shooting that targeted a Jewish celebration at Bondi Beach and left 15 people dead.

Albanese told reporters in December that the Australian government had extended an invitation to Herzog “to honour and remember victims of the Bondi anti-Semitic terrorist attack and provide support for Jewish Australians and the Australian Jewish community at this time”.

However, Jewish Council of Australia executive member Ohad Kozminsky told Australian public broadcaster SBS last month that a visit from Herzog following the Bondi attack “will only inflame tensions and exacerbate division in our community”, considering he is the “head of a foreign country that has been 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 that have prompted concerns from advocates over some far-reaching provisions.

The Jewish Council of Australia said in a statement that while “some of the most contentious provisions” were removed before the legislation was quickly passed earlier this week, 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 its petition calling on Australian “leaders to reject attempts to weaponise Jewish grief, erode civil liberties, or pit communities against one another in the aftermath of the antisemitic attack at Bondi”.

“One month on, instead of space for mourning and healing, we are watching our grief and anger being turned into a political weapon to demonise Palestinians, Muslims, migrants and the anti-genocide protest movement,” Kozminsky said in a statement.

“Jewish safety is not strengthened by rushed political deals or parliamentary chaos,” Kozminsky said.

“It will be strengthened by calm, consistent measures to combat antisemitism, and by protecting all communities from racism and violence including Muslims, Palestinians, and migrant Australians who are also being unfairly targeted in the wake of this tragedy,” he added.