Invitation and exhortation: ‘go to Israel and see for yourself, Anthony Albanese’, says Mark Leibler

Senior Australian Jewish leader Mark Leibler has urged Anthony Albanese to agree to the Israeli President’s request that he visit the country, saying it would give the PM a fresh perspective on the Gaza conflict.

Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council chair Mark Leibler. Picture: Valeriu Campan

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One of Australia’s most senior Jewish leaders, Mark Leibler, has urged Anthony Albanese to agree to Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s request that he visit the country, saying it would give the Prime Minister a fresh perspective on the Gaza conflict and the threats that Israel faces.

Mr Leibler, a close ally of Mr ­Albanese on the failed voice referendum, said the proposed trip would be “very constructive and worthwhile”.

“He would see for himself the complexity of the situation there, and understand the pressures that Israel is being subjected to in terms of defending themselves,” the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council chair said.

Mr Herzog’s invitation, in ­remarks to a group of Australian editors and journalists in Israel, follows Mr Albanese’s attack on Israel earlier this week over its ­distribution of aid in Gaza, and signs the government is considering formal recognition of Palestinian statehood.

Mr Herzog made clear he would like to see Mr Albanese ­engage more directly on the ­challenges of the region – reflecting the ingrained Israeli view that Australia has become a remote and poorly informed critic of ­Israel’s Gaza strategy.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Picture: Reuters

“I welcome and invite the Prime Minister to visit Israel – absolutely,” Mr Herzog told the delegation. He also made clear his willingness to visit Australia.

The invitation followed a brief exchange between the President and the Prime Minister in Rome on the sidelines of the Pope’s inaugural mass.

Mr Albanese this week said he made it “very clear” to Mr Herzog that Israel’s failures on humanitarian aid to Gaza were “completely untenable and without credibility” when people were starving, and “the idea that a democratic state withholds supply is an outrage”.

Mr Leibler, who was awarded the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honour last year for his commitment to the country and to Australian Jews, said the Prime Minister would benefit from a close-up view of the conflict.

He said he should particularly visit the country’s south, where the “terrible carnage” of Hamas’ Oct­ober 7, 2023, attack took place.

“I think he would be very moved and would gain a good understanding of what confronts Israel at the moment,” he said.

“It’s also important … for those innocent Palestinians who are suffering to bring an end to Hamas as soon as possible, and to get the hostages released.

“Had the international community of nations, the UN, ­actually made that the focal point of their endeavours from the beginning, my view is that this war and the release of the hostages … would have been resolved many months ago.”

Mr Albanese’s office declined to comment on the invitation, but the opposition and Jewish groups urged him to take up the opportunity. The opposition’s foreign affairs spokeswoman, Michaelia Cash, said: “Australia and Israel have always had a very strong relationship, which has deteriorated significantly under the Albanese government since Hamas’s terrorist attacks on Israel on 7 October, 2023.

“It is important for Prime Minister Albanese to accept this invitation from Israel’s President and visit Israel as soon as practical. This is a good opportunity for the Prime Minister to reset the ­relationship.”

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said the invitation was “an act of goodwill” by Israel.

“We certainly encourage the Prime Minister to travel to Israel to see first-hand how the country has been altered by the scale and brutality of the October 7 attacks and to witness the lengths to which Israel is going to liberate both Israelis and Palestinians from Hamas’s tyranny to achieve long-term peace and stability,” Mr Ryvchin said.

The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network advised Mr Albanese not to take up the invitation.

“Australian leaders must not dignify Israel’s genocidal crimes with photo opportunities, ­handshakes and diplomatic niceties,” APAN president Nasser Mashni said.

“Instead, Australia must sanction Israel, end its two-way arms trade and economic relationships with this genocidal apartheid state, and publicly commit to international legal accountability for all Israeli leaders and entities responsible for atrocities in Gaza and across occupied Palestine.”

International pressure on Israel will grow ahead of a major UN conference in June to “urgently chart an irreversible pathway towards the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and the implementation of the two-state solution”.

Australia’s representative to the UN, James Larsen, raised speculation this week that Australia could formally recognise Palestinian sovereignty at the conference by reiterating a policy shift set in motion last year by Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

“Like other partners, Australia no longer sees recognition of a Palestinian state as only occurring at the end of negotiations but rather as a way of building momentum towards a two-state solution,” he said.

Mr Leibler said talking about recognising Palestine while Hamas was still entrenched in Gaza was “inane”.

“If you believe Hamas has to go, given Hamas is still there, what is the point about talking about recognition of a Palestinian state at this point? It just defies reason and common sense,” he said.

Israel ended its 11-week ­blockade of aid to the Gaza Strip last week, allowing in five trucks of humanitarian supplies as it took over from the UN distribution of aid to the enclave’s 2.3 million people .

Australia joined Britain, Canada, New Zealand and a raft of ­European nations to condemn the change, accusing Israel of linking lifesaving food and medicine deliveries to its political and military objectives.