Tony Abbott met Benjamin Netanyahu in Switzerland when he was PM, and again when he visited Tel Aviv last December. Picture: John Tass-Parker

In fact he will find himself feted in a manner he rarely receives back home where he faces a vocal opposition.

Officially, he will sign an agreement to exchange technological innovation, and a second to boost commercial links.

Mr Netanyahu will not make it to Canberra, but there will be plenty of political interest in him.

Over his four days here there will be public protests against Mr Netanyahu’s hard line settlement program and treatment of Palestinians, and the Greens will make their criticisms obvious.

But “Bibi” will have the comfort of knowing his nation is strongly supported by Liberals, and that he has been a surprising influence.

When Tony Abbott was Prime Minister and discussions flagged during national security committee meetings, he had a question he hoped would crystallise options.

“What would Mossad do?” he would ask, referring to the Israeli intelligence agency.

Mr Abbott had brief talks with Mr Netanyahu — the first Israeli PM to visit Australia — in Tel Aviv in December and remains a fan. He wants Australia to halt some $30 million in aid to the Palestinian authority.

At about the time Mr Abbott was visiting Israel, his successor Malcolm Turnbull was in Sydney as the main speaker marking the 80th birthday of JewishCare.

Mr Turnbull used his speech at JewishCare in December to reiterate Australia’s support of Israel. Picture: John AppleyardSource:News Corp Australia

“So many of your lives, or those of your parents or grandparents, were transformed by an extraordinary effort of leadership, but above all of love, by this organisation,” said Mr Turnbull.

“Philanthropy and a love of mankind is absolutely grounded and fundamental to Jewish ethical thought and practice.”

It was a Jewish connection the member for Wentworth highlighted in his first — or maiden — speech to Parliament in November, 2004.

“Wentworth has the largest Jewish community in our city,” said Mr Turnbull.

He continued: “Australia is a good friend of Israel, the Middle East’s only democracy. We have been resolute in supporting Israel’s right to take the necessary steps to defend itself from terror.”

A few days after Mr Turnbull’s December speech to JewishCare, Australian declined to match the diplomatic rebuke of Israel by the Obama administration over settlement expansion taking more land from Palestinians.

However, in January, Australia expressed concern over a further eviction of Palestinians.

“This is a significant expansion deep in the West Bank that does have the capacity to undermine the credibility of a two-state solution,” a source from Foreign Minister Julie Bishop’s office told the ABC.

This Thursday Mr Netanyahu will meet Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and shadow ministers.

The platform of the ALP, as voted on at the annual conference in 2015, calls for a two-state creation, and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten made that clear when he, too, had talks with Mr Netanyahu in Tel Aviv in December.

“Labor has long supported a two-state solution. We support the right of both Palestinians and Israelis to live within secure borders,” Mr Shorten said recently.

“I will make it clear to Mr Netanyahu that where settlement building is an obstacle to two-state solution, it should be stopped. Full stop.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will arrive in Australia tomorrow. Picture: Joseph Nair / APSource:AP