During his recent state visit, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog made a noteworthy stop at the headquarters of Australia’s domestic intelligence agency.

Herzog engaged in discussions with Mike Burgess, the director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), at their base in Canberra.

This meeting was officially acknowledged by ASIO after independent Senator David Pocock inquired about its occurrence during a parliamentary session.

“Australian intelligence agencies have robust and long-standing partnerships with their international counterparts,” stated an ASIO representative.

“The president had a meeting with the director-general of security, receiving insights from ASIO’s counter-terrorism team concerning their actions post the Bondi incident.”

Such gatherings are vital for addressing global security challenges and enhancing collaborative efforts on the international stage.

Pocock said the issue had been raised with him by people in his electorate.

“Constituents raised with me a concern that the Israeli head of state, president Isaac Herzog, visited ASIO headquarters in the course of his recent visit to Australia,” Pocock said.

“The stated purpose of this visit was to provide support to Australia’s Jewish community.

“A visit by a foreign head of state to the headquarters of our national security and intelligence agency would, I believe, be unprecedented.”

SBS News has contacted ASIO to verify whether this claim is accurate.

“I was disappointed the government was not more forthcoming in their answer to my queries in question time and look forward to receiving further information in due course as I believe Australians deserve more transparency from their government,” Pocock said.

A senior intelligence source has told SBS that while such a visit is rare, in the context of the Bondi terror attack, there was a reasonable argument that the president could hold talks with Burgess about the continuing threat faced by Jewish Australians.

The source, who asked for anonymity to speak freely, said the president would not have been privy to any secret intelligence apparatus within the ASIO headquarters during his visit.

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