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TRANSCRIPT
PROTESTORS CHANT: “Arrest Herzog, arrest Herzog, arrest Herzog...”
FARUQI: War criminals belong in prison, not in Parliament. I have long lost respect for the Albanese government, but never in even my wildest dreams could I have imagined that they could reach such such a low not only to invite Isaac Herzog here, but to honor Him, to tour him around the country on taxpayer dollars, and then to turn around and lecture us about social cohesion, Labor has shown exactly who they are yet again.”
That was Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi, speaking outside Federal Parliament at a protest against the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Mr Herzog is in Australia to commemorate the victims of last year's Bondi terror attack and support the Jewish community.
The demonstrators are rejecting his official visit, citing a United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry which does not speak on behalf of the UN as a whole and has been sharply criticised by Israel.
The COI labelled Israel's war in Gaza a genocide and accused President Herzog, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant of 'inciting the commission of genocide in their speeches and statements'.
Israel is separately defending a genocide case at the International Court of Justice
Protestors are arguing it's inappropriate in those circumstances to provide a ceremonial welcome.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed Mr Herzog's visit and his support for the Jewish community.
“You've provided comfort to the Jewish Australian community, who are grieving this loss as a result of the anti semitic terrorist attack that occurred on December 14. It's also been an opportunity for us to engage on issues, and I look forward to a further discussion about the Middle East, about we in Australia want to see peace in the Middle East. We want to see Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in peace and security as we go forward.”
Upon arriving in Canberra, Mr Herzog is describing the visit as an opportunity to renew the sense of partnership between Israel and Australia.
“We also share the hope that we can bring the relationship between our nations on a renewed path. Israel and Australia brought back long there's a long history. Old soldiers were the ones who liberated our land in 1917 which led to the creation of our state later on, and because you are the first nation to declare Israel's right to exist and recognize it's Israel in the historic 1947 resolution - I think it's enormous.”
This woman, Yvonne, told SBS earlier this week that the visit has made a positive difference for her and the community.
“It makes us feel like we're not alone. It's such a tragedy. You never think anything like this would ever happen in Bondi, and we didn't realise how important the visit was until we just saw him and realised, actually globally we have support.”
Several politicians, including Greens leader Larissa Waters and independent senator David Pocock, joined the protest outside Parliament House.
Mr Pocock says he is concerned over the police violence seen on the streets of Sydney, referring to videos that appeared to show officers repeatedly punching protesters who did not appear to be resisting during the demonstrations against Mr Herzog’s visit
“I think we've got to defend Australians right to protest. We've seen what. What happened in Sydney. I think there's a really worrying clamp down on protest across this country. And I also think it was, it was the wrong decision to invite President Herzog at this at this time where we've seen so much strain on communities and tension and communities across the country.”
Nationals Senator Matt Canavan on the other hand is defending the use of force against protesters in Sydney.
While Senator Canavan is describing situation in Gaza as a humanitarian crisis and says that he does not advocate for Israel's actions, he is arguing that a history of unruly behavior from protesters justifies the assertive police response.
“I'm not the New South Wales police, but I fully back back Law and Order applying in this country. There's been too much unruly behavior for too long now. It shouldn't have got to this stage if we'd applied the law that's happened, that's done so now's the time to apply law, because otherwise, just get worse and worse. So we've got to have a country of laws.”
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, an I-D-F veteran, told ABC Radio National that there is no excuse for the protesters' actions.
When questioned about their opposition to the violence in Gaza, she says violence is a casualty of war.
“Look, a war is a war. It's a terrible thing. There's casualties and there's death and destruction. We know that a war is not a pretty thing. You cannot give me one example of a war worldwide when you can, you know, picture it in a romantic way, with no casualties, with with with no no destruction. It's terrible.”
However, at the protest in Canberra there was another ex member of the Israeli Defence Force (I-D-F) who took a different view.
“Over two years, I've been watching children families being slaughtered in Gaza. I'm from Israel. I served in the IDF. I was lied to, I was told that we were the most moral army in the world. I had no idea.”
Greens Senator David Shoebridge is rejects the narrative that local protests are an extension of a clash of civilizations.
He says that linking the Free Palestine movement to the Bondi terror attack relies on a fundamental misunderstanding of the groups involved, asserting that the "toxic ISIS ideology" is actually an enemy of the Palestinian cause, not an ally.
“But the country has been misled by many people in the in politics, by suggesting that toxic ISIS ideology has anything to do with the free Palestine movement. Indeed, they are political enemies on the ground, in in in the Middle East, deep political enemies on the ground. There is no connection, no no, no direct connection, no indirect connection, between the hateful ideology of ISIS and the free Palestinian movement. Indeed, the whole purpose of the free Palestinian, free Palestine movement is to stop violence, to oppose a genocide, to directly negate the use of state directed violence and political violence against an occupied people, and the fact that neither Chris Minns or prime minister Albanese, let alone those in the reform coalition, refused to tell that truth, or I think it's an indictment on them.”
President Herzog travels to Melbourne on Thursday before returning to Israel.
