{"id":281879,"date":"2026-02-09T08:29:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T08:29:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/281879\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T08:29:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T08:29:08","slug":"israeli-president-visits-bondi-beach-attack-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/281879\/","title":{"rendered":"Israeli president visits Bondi Beach attack site"},"content":{"rendered":"

Israel<\/a>\u00a0President Isaac Herzog started a visit to Australia<\/a>, with the Bondi Beach attack<\/a> playing a vital role in the trip.<\/p>\n

Herzog held meetings with victims’ families and survivors of the antisemitic attack on a Jewish holiday \u2014 Australia’s worst shooting incident in 40 years \u2014 in which 15 people were killed.<\/p>\n

The Israeli president laid the wreath and two stones he had brought from Jerusalem at a pavilion near the attack’s site, which became a make-shift memorial site after the shooting.<\/p>\n

\"FlowersTributes poured in after the Bondi Beach attack, which took place at a Jewish fesitval [FILE: January 2026]Image: Steven Markham\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Upon his visit to the memorial, Herzog said the stones would remain at the site in victims’ memory\u00a0as a reminder that people of all faiths and nations “will continue to hold strong in the face of terror, violence and hatred, and that we shall overcome this evil together.”<\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters, the Israeli president said he had been “shaken to the core” hearing about the attack. “Our heart missed a beat, like all Israelis and all Jews. And I’m here to express solidarity, friendship, and love,” he said.<\/p>\n

Herzog also said his visit provides an opportunity to improve bilateral relations between Israel and Australia.<\/p>\n

\"IsraeliIsraeli President Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal laid a wreath at the memorial site for the shootingImage: Hollie Adams\/REUTERS<\/p>\n

“We are two democracies that share values together and we are confronting the roots of evil from all over the world,” Herzog said. “And we should do it together.”<\/p>\n

Security measures\u00a0in Sydney<\/p>\n

Tight security accompanied Herzog’s visit, with police snipers being visible on rooftops near Bondi beach.<\/p>\n

Apart from his visit to Sydney, Herzog will also visit Melbourne and capital Canberra before heading back to Israel on Thursday.<\/p>\n

The president plays a largely ceremonial role in Israel, with the invitation being initiated by Jewish mainstream groups in the country.<\/p>\n

Governor-General Sam Mostyn, Australia’s equivalent position to the Israeli president role, then followed suit and extended the invitation, after a request by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.<\/p>\n

Albanese has been at odds with Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu over the Australian recognition of a Palestinian state six months ago.<\/p>\n

Protests against Gaza war expected<\/p>\n

His visit will also be accompanied by protests over Israel’s war in Gaza<\/a> and its treatment of the enclave<\/a>‘s civilian population.<\/p>\n

Australia has seen similar protests throughout the two-year war that started after Hamas’ October 7, 2023 terrorist attack.<\/a><\/p>\n

In response to the Bundi beach shooting being declared a terrorist attack, the parliament in the Australian state of New South Wales passed a legislation that increases police powers to arrest protesters.<\/p>\n

\"AAustralia has seen large-scale pro-Palestinian protests during Israel’s two-year war in Gaza [FILE: October 2025]Image: Rick Rycroft\/AP Photo\/picture alliance<\/p>\n

Protests can be restricted for two weeks at a time for up to 90 days, with police continuing the restrictions in a bid to contain potential civil disorder during Herzog’s visit in Sydney.<\/p>\n

The Palestine Action Group called for people to join a protest, with demonstrators potentially facing arrest due to the restrictions.<\/p>\n

Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Israel\u00a0President Isaac Herzog started a visit to Australia, with the Bondi Beach attack playing a vital role in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":281880,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[85,46,43],"class_list":{"0":"post-281879","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-israel","8":"tag-il","9":"tag-israel","10":"tag-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281879","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=281879"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281879\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/281880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=281879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=281879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=281879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}