By Anadolu staff
ISTANBUL (AA) - Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Thursday defended the invitation to Israeli president despite growing pressure and criticism, in addition to calls for Issac Herzog's arrest.
Responding to calls for Herzog's arrest, Wong told Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the Israeli president has been invited to Australia to support the nation's Jewish community following Bondi Beach terror attack in December that killed 15 people and injured 42.
Herzog is set to arrive in Australia on a four-day state visit on Sunday as discontent grows within Labor ranks over the invitation.
She said the government had considered legal advice about Australia's obligations to international law before inviting Herzog to visit.
“We always consider legal advice in relation to our obligations”.
“I’d make the point we have invited him,” she said.
“The community asked for President Herzog to visit, and he’s been invited by the Governor-General at the request of the Prime Minister,” she further said.
The visting German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that for historical reasons, Germany has a responsibility to the existence and security of Israel.
But he said that Germany recognizes the jurisdiction of international courts.
Ben Saul, UN Special Reppotuer on human rights and counter-terrorism, said it's unwise for Canberra to invite Herzog who personally alleged to have incited genocide, violence and hatred against Palestinians.
In a statement, Saul noted that the International Court of Justice has found Israel to have threatened plausible rights of Palestinians to be protected against genocide in Gaza.
" His visit will deeply divide, not heal, Australia after Bondi terrorist attack and traumatize the victims here of Israeli atrocities," he added.
The Jewish Council of Australia also opposed Herzog’s visit, saying, "He does not represent us."
In a statement, the council said, "We refuse to let our grief for the Bondi massacre be used to legitimise a leader who has played an active role in the ongoing destruction of Gaza, including the murder of tens of thousands of Palestinians, and the displacement of millions."
Chris Sidoti, a leading Australian human rights lawyer who served as a commissioner on a UN independent commission of inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, said on Thursday that Herzog should be arrested on arrival in Australia for inciting genocide.
Independent lawmakers Andrew Wilkie, Sophie Scamps, and Zali Steggall have ''strongly'' criticized Herzog's visit, saying the trip "is in no way conducive to social cohesion".
"If President Herzog's visit is to proceed, it would be an opportunity to outline his commitment to a path for peace, and a situation in which both Israelis and Palestinians can co-exist and live safely," said a joint statement issued by the lawmakers.
In a post on US social media company X, Peter Murphy, an Australian human rights activist said, " Dear Aus(tralian) prime minister, we did not vote for Zionists to run our country."
In a reported development, Australian universities will be graded on how well they “deal with” protests, encampments and the display of flags as part of a controversial antisemitism report card system adopted by the Albanese government after the Bondi terror attack, Guardian Australia reported.