Anne Aly, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, dodged questions on Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
During an interview with ABC’s Radio National this morning, Aly would not say whether she welcomed his upcoming visit to Australia, scheduled for February 8.
Host Sally Sara asked Aly three times whether she welcomed his visit, to which she repeatedly responded that the invitation to Herzog had been extended as “protocol” after the Bondi terror attack.
“He was invited for victims of the Bondi terror attack, and that is protocol,” she said, the third time Sara asked the question.
Herzog’s visit has already been a contentious issue, sparking division within the Labor Party.
His trip has been welcomed by Jewish community leaders but opposed by pro-Palestine advocates, including in Labor’s rank-and-file.
Jewish Labor, a group set up to tackle antisemitism within the labour movement, wrote an open letter to MPs yesterday urging them to support the visit, which they said would be a healing moment for many in the Jewish community.
By contrast, the Labor Friends of Palestine group wrote to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke urging him to refuse to grant Herzog a visa on character grounds.
