A UN human rights commissioner has called for Australia to deny entry to Israeli President Isaac Herzog ahead of his planned visit, citing Israel's conduct in Gaza.
The statement, reported by the ABC, intensifies pressure on the Albanese government to take a stronger stance on the Middle East conflict - pressure that's only grown after Israeli forces bulldozed a cemetery containing Australian WWI graves.
Mate, Canberra is caught between its historical alliance with Israel and growing international consensus that Israeli military operations in Gaza have crossed legal and moral lines.
Australia has traditionally positioned itself as a middle power - maintaining relationships across divides, championing international law, and using its diplomatic weight to broker compromises. But the Gaza conflict is testing whether that approach still works when allies are accused of war crimes.
The UN commissioner's call for Australia to refuse Herzog's visit represents a significant escalation. It's one thing for activists to protest a visit. It's another when UN officials are saying a head of state shouldn't be welcomed.
Herzog holds a largely ceremonial role in the Israeli political system - he's not making military decisions. But he represents the Israeli state, and that's precisely the point. The commissioner is arguing that normalizing relations with Israeli leadership while the Gaza operation continues sends the wrong message about international law and human rights.
The Albanese government has gradually hardened its rhetoric on Gaza, calling for ceasefires and expressing concern about civilian casualties. But it has stopped short of the kind of forceful condemnation - or diplomatic consequences - that critics demand.
Refusing a head of state's visit would be a dramatic break from Australia's traditional diplomacy. It would strain the relationship with Israel, potentially alienate parts of the Australian Jewish community, and invite fierce domestic political attacks.
But continuing business as usual after Israeli forces destroyed Australian war graves and amid mounting evidence of systematic violations of international humanitarian law carries its own costs - to Australia's international credibility and moral standing.
The government hasn't indicated any plans to cancel Herzog's visit. But the pressure is mounting, the stakes are rising, and Canberra's traditional middle-power balancing act is looking increasingly untenable.
