Turnbull set to arrive in Israel after "citizenship seven" fallout


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Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will kick off his visit to Israel with meetings with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu.


Mr Turnbull is scheduled to arrive on Monday afternoon (Monday night AEDT), two days later than originally planned following the fall-out from the High Court’s ruling on the “citizenship seven”.


It is the first visit to Israel by an Australian prime minister since John Howard in 2000.


Mr Turnbull will receive a ceremonial welcome before a one-on-one with Mr Netanyahu and a formal bilateral meeting, with defence and national security the focus.


Defence and security will be a key focus, with the pair expected to announce a memorandum of understanding between the Australian and Israeli defence departments.


The Israeli leader and his wife Sara will then host Mr Turnbull and wife Lucy at a private dinner at their residence.


The two leaders, along with cabinet ministers Josh Frydenberg and Dan Tehan, Labor leader Bill Shorten and MPs Mark Dreyfus and Warren Snowden, will join about 2000 others on Tuesday for a series of commemorative events marking the centenary of the battle of Beersheba.


Mr Turnbull will make a speech before the day culminates in a re-enactment of the charge of the Australian light horse brigade.



Described as one of the last great calvary charges in history, the Australian Light Horse Brigade captured the city of Beersheba on October 31, 1917. Thirty-one Australians died in the conflict.


The prime minister is also scheduled to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum before flying out on Wednesday but it’s unclear whether he will meet any Palestinian leaders because of the shortened schedule.


“The prime minister is still coming to Israel and I think that’s a sign of his commitment to commemorate this amazing story of Beersheba and the battle that took place 100 years ago … and also to the bilateral relationship,” Mr Frydenberg said.


Mr Shorten wouldn’t be drawn on the implications of Mr Turnbull’s delayed trip, other than to blame it on the “turmoil” he had created himself.


“I’m not here to forensically debate Australian politics,” he told reporters.

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