Isaac Herzog was met by senior politicians, including Speaker Milton Dick, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and Jewish MP Mark Dreyfus, as well as Australia’s special envoy to combat anti-Semitism Jillian Segal and Governor-General Sam Mostyn.

Mr Herzog, accompanied by his wife Michal, was welcomed by a ceremonial 21-gun salute from the Federation Guard and followed it with an inspection of the guard.

Security was bolstered at Government House, with snipers seen on the roof of the governor-general’s residence.

Arrivals were closely monitored and only pre-approved people were allowed in ahead of Mr Herzog’s arrival.

Protesters stationed at the Government House lookout could be heard yelling in the background.

Ms Mostyn said she was delighted to welcome the Herzogs and presented them with a photo of Mr Herzog’s father, Chaim Herzog, during his trip to Australia in 1986, when he stayed at Government House.

Mr Herzog said he was honoured to see his father’s photo in the residence.

“This is a great moment in relations between our nations,” he said.

“I know how much you spend time in consoling and supporting the Jewish community.”

Mr Herzog said both Australia and Israel “share the need to fight anti-Semitism with no doubts … so we uproot this phenomenon”.

The Israeli president will attend multiple events in Canberra, including formal meetings with Mr Albanese and Ms Ley.

He will travel to Melbourne on Thursday.

Hundreds of protesters gathered on the lawns of Parliament House on Wednesday, demonstrating against Mr Herzog’s visit as senior politicians continued to defend the official trip.

Federal minister Mark Butler said despite violent clashes between police and protesters in Sydney, the invitation to Mr Herzog to visit after the Bondi terror attack was necessary.

“This was a very clear request from a grieving Jewish community, and it’s one we listened to,” he told ABC TV on Wednesday.

“It’s been already an enormous source of comfort and solace to a community that is grieving and is frightened. And so we recognise the importance of that.

“We thought it was important to invite the president to provide that comfort to a community that is going through such a painful period.”

ACT police said there would be an expanded presence in Canberra on Wednesday.

“We will have a significant and dedicated police presence, including those from AFP Protection and Specialist Operations, on Canberra’s streets during these protests to keep everyone in the community safe,” ACT’s chief police officer Scott Lee said.

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said the invitation to Mr Herzog was reasonable following the Bondi attack.

“He is the head of state of a country which, while we have differences, we have very friendly relations over a long period of time,” he told ABC Radio.

“This is a time to dial the temperature down, dial the heat down, rather than allowing this visit to become an occasion for increasing the division and tension that we’ve seen too much of.”

The prime minister hosted Mr Herzog for dinner at Kirribilli House on Tuesday night.

It followed the two leaders attending the Chabad of Bondi synagogue, where they met with the families of Bondi victims.

“The terrorists sought to instil fear in the Jewish people – we will respond with renewed Jewish pride,” Mr Herzog told the congregation.

“They sought to turn our festivals into mourning – we will come together, determined and unified, to celebrate our traditions, our heritage, our people.”