ALBO’S ABJECT FAILURE
Framed by the Albanese government as a mission of solidarity following the horrific Bondi terror attack in December, the recent visit of President Isaac Herzog has transitioned from a predicted diplomatic misstep into a confirmed social catastrophe. While the official rhetoric continued to emphasise strengthening bilateral ties and enhancing social cohesion, the reality on the ground proved that the visit acted as a primary catalyst for unprecedented domestic friction, legal challenges, and deep-seated communal anxiety.
Albo really fucked it this time. Central to the failure of this mission was the inherent paradox of attempting to foster harmony by introducing one of the most polarising figures in contemporary global politics into a sensitive domestic grieving process. The decision to invite a foreign head of state to provide pastoral care after a local tragedy was a dangerous conflation of faith and foreign policy. Rather than bringing Australians together, the visit triggered nationwide protests, with thousands mobilised across major capital cities, leading to the exact unrest analysts feared. If Albo genuinely expected a different outcome, he’s a fucking idiot.
In Sydney, the securitised atmosphere was not merely anticipated but enforced, with the NSW Police Commissioner invoking emergency powers to declare the visit a major event. This resulted in a climate of state-enforced order characterised by exclusion zones, 3,000-strong police deployments, and the use of pepper spray, brutality and arrests to manage dissent. When a “healing mission” requires such massive paramilitary protection and the suspension of normal civil liberties to proceed, it has arguably already failed. The visit also failed to deliver uniform support for the Australian Jewish community, as it ignored the significant diversity of opinion within the diaspora. While organisations like the AIJAC welcomed the President, voices from the Jewish Council of Australia and over 1,000 Jewish academics condemned the visit as an act that instrumentalised Jewish grief for political ends. The current atmosphere within the community is one of exhaustion; having endured a hellish summer marked by the trauma of the Bondi massacre and a documented surge in antisemitism, many families now feel the community has been used as a symbolic battleground.
The general atmosphere isn’t one of unified celebration but of apprehension, as Herzog’s presence reinforced the dual allegiance trope and provoked further hostility toward Jewish Australians. Many community members correctly noted they needed space for quiet rehabilitation, not a high-stakes diplomatic circus that put them back in the crosshairs of national controversy. The demonstrations further complicated this dynamic; for many, the sight of mass protests directed at the representative of the Jewish state so soon after a targeted attack on home soil was deeply triggering. Conversely, for the protesters, the visit was an affront to international law, especially given the 2025 findings that Herzog’s rhetoric constituted incitement to genocide. This legal shadow ensured the visit did not strengthen ties but instead placed the Australian government in a precarious position regarding its own domestic laws. With formal requests submitted to the Federal Police to investigate Herzog despite his diplomatic immunity, the visit became a test of Australia’s commitment to the Rome Statute rather than a reaffirmation of friendship.
Ultimately, the visit failed because it applied a political solution to a communal trauma. The solidarity offered was high-level and ceremonial, while the division it generated was grassroots and visceral. By bringing in a figure carrying the heavy baggage of the Gaza conflict and international legal scrutiny, the government ensured these five days were defined by barricades, legal briefs, and street shouting matches. Far from a moment of leadership, the Herzog visit will be remembered as the moment Australia’s internal social fractures were laid bare.
Yes, I’ve been very vocal against Israel’s genocide and its actions of the last 77 years. But as the child of Holocaust survivors and a former IDF soldier, I understand the stress many in the Jewish community are feeling. I’m just grateful my father passed before all this happened and that my mother’s dementia shields her from this reality. I also believe that much of this stress has been exacerbated by the inciteful rhetoric from media and politicians like Chris Minns, the toxic diatribe from certain lobby groups, and a resentful feeling in the general community that we now have a Jewish Voice to Parliament we didn’t vote for.
Tough times ahead; it’s unfortunate we don’t have the political leadership to see us through them safely.
