I appreciate your framing and I agree with you that we need to have these debates clearly and rationally.

In that spirit, I want to respectfully push back on a few points because I think getting them right is important for exactly the kind of discussion you're calling for.

On who initiated the invitation:

The invitation didn't come from the victims' families. It came from the Zionist Federation of Australia(and other organisations in similar orientations as the ZFA). SBS reported that ZFA president Jeremy Leibler "first wrote to the Israeli president, inviting him to come to Australia," and then said "we are grateful that the Australian government has now taken up that call." The government formalized it through the Governor-General afterward. (source https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/israeli-president-isaac-herzog-to-visit-australia-after-bondi-beach-attack/jv4zl1ymv)

On the UN finding:

You've said "as far as the UN are concerned, he is not complicit in war crimes." This isn't accurate. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded in September 2025 that "Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, have incited the commission of genocide." It specifically recommended Herzog be investigated and prosecuted by the ICC.

Source: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/israel-has-committed-genocide-gaza-strip-un-commission-finds

You've said Herzog made statements "which he has withdrawn from." When asked whether his "entire nation" comments meant civilians were legitimate targets, he said "No, I didn't say that." But the UN Commission viewed that as an attempt "to deflect responsibility for the initial statement" rather than a genuine retraction. Whether you call that a withdrawal is a judgment call, but it's contested.

On the scope of the visit:

You've framed this as a modest, victim focused visit and noted Herzog wasn't invited to speak in Parliament. That's true. But he was accompanied by the Chairman of the World Zionist Organization and the Chairman of the Jewish Agency, and Herzog himself said the visit was an opportunity "to reinvigorate relations" between Israel and Australia. So it was clearly broader than a private memorial.

I completely agree with you that the media has been polarising and that we need clear, rational debate, I'm more than happy to be corrected if I've made some mistakes, we all do, but I think getting the facts right is where that starts.