The tech billionaire has expressed support for Israel’s war against Hamas as he faces accusations of anti-Semitism.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting a kibbutz targeted by Palestinian gunmen in an October 7 attack and expressing support for Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The visit comes amid a period of controversy for Musk, who recently sparked outrage by calling a social media post promoting the conspiracy theory that white people in the West are being “replaced” anti-Semitic. » by immigration from the South, with the help of progressive Jews. , “the real truth”.
After visiting the decimated Kfar Azza kibbutz with Netanyahu, Musk said in a conversation with the prime minister on X-spaces that it was “shocking to see the scene of massacre” and that Israel had “not no choice” but to eliminate Hamas.
The trip comes on the fourth day of an ongoing truce between Israel and Hamas, during which Israel collects dozens of prisoners in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
יירתי עם אילון מאסק בקיבוץ כפר עזה כדי להראות לו מקרוב את הפשעים נ גד האנושות שביצע חמאס @Elon Musk
(צילום: עמוס בן גרשום, לע״מ) pic.twitter.com/aipX6ryv7T
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) November 27, 2023
Musk is also expected to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, whose office said in a statement would emphasize “the need for action to combat the rise of anti-Semitism online.”
During Musk’s tenure, critics said the social media platform after a report accused X of running their ads alongside content from neo-Nazis and white nationalists.
X Corp is currently suing Media Matters, a nonprofit, on the grounds that it drove away advertisers by describing the site as riddled with anti-Semitic content.
Musk also threatened to file a lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy group, over its claims that problematic and racist speech has skyrocketed on the site since it completed its $44 billion buyout. dollars.
Starlink agreement
Upon Musk’s arrival, Israel announced it had reached an agreement “in principle” to use SpaceX’s Starlink communications channel in Gaza, where Musk had previously suggested it could be used to improve communications.
The deal marked a major shift for Israel, whose communications minister previously rejected the idea of opening Starlink in Gaza, saying Hamas would use it for “terrorist activities.”
But on Monday, Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi announced that Israel had reached an agreement in principle that “Starlink satellite units can only be operated in Israel with the approval of the Israeli Ministry of Communications, including in the Gaza Strip.
In a message to Musk, Karhi said he hoped the entrepreneur’s visit to Israel “will serve as a springboard for future efforts, as well as strengthen your relationship with the Jewish people and the values we share with the whole world “.
Elon Musk, I congratulate you on reaching an agreement in principle with the Ministry of Communications under my leadership.
As a result of this important agreement, Starlink satellite units can only be operated in Israel with the approval of the Israeli Ministry of…
— 🇮🇱שלמה קרעי – Shlomo Karhi (@shlomo_karhi) November 27, 2023
X has been a key source of information and debate about the war in Gaza, with government officials as well as pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian users sharing content. However, critics say it also amplified disinformation, conspiracy theories and hateful content, including anti-Semitism, during the conflict.
After the war in Gaza broke out on October 7, anti-Semitic incidents in the United States increased by nearly 400 percent from the previous year, according to the Anti-Defamation League, a nonprofit organization.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations reported a 216 percent increase in Islamophobic and anti-Arab incidents between October 7 and November 4.
