JERUSALEM (AP) – Elon Musk, who’s been under fire over accusations of antisemitism flourishing on his social media platform X, paid a visit Monday to Israel, where he toured a kibbutz that was attacked last month by Hamas militants and was set to meet with top leaders.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
The billionaire and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured the Kfar Azza kibbutz, a rural village that Hamas militants stormed on Oct. 7 in a deadly assault that launched the war.
Musk, wearing a protective vest and escorted by a phalanx of security personnel as rain fell, used his phone to take photos or videos of the devastation, according to video released by Netanyahu’s office.
The Tesla CEO and prime minister visited the homes of some victims, including the family of Abigail Edan, a 4-year-old girl with dual Israeli-U.S. citizenship who was held hostage by Hamas after her parents were killed. She was released Sunday in the latest round of exchanges during a cease-fire in Gaza that is set to expire after Monday.
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) November 27, 2023
“It was jarring to see the scene of the massacre,” Musk later said in an X Spaces conversation with Netanyahu. Musk said he was troubled by video and photos that the prime minister showed him of the killings of civilians, including children.
They spoke broadly about the conflict, the protests it has generated, Hamas, the Middle East and more but did not touch on antisemitism online. Netanyahu said he hoped Musk would be involved in building a better future, to which the billionaire replied, “I’d love to help.”
Musk also was due to meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Benny Gantz, a former defense minister who’s now part of a special war Cabinet.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and @ElonMusk toured Kibbutz Kfar Aza this morning.
The Prime Minister showed Musk the horrors of the massacre at the kibbutz on Saturday October 7th.https://t.co/prW0e5Cvbc pic.twitter.com/kR74F61qaf
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) November 27, 2023
Government spokesperson Eylon Levy declined to say whether Musk was invited or came on his own. X, formerly known as Twitter, did not respond to a request for comment.
Israel’s communications minister, Shlomo Karhi, tweeted earlier Monday about a deal that his ministry had reached with Musk’s Starlink satellite internet company.
“As a result of this significant agreement, Starlink satellite units can only be operated in Israel with the approval of the Israeli Ministry of Communications, including the Gaza Strip,” Karhi wrote, without providing further details.
PM Netanyahu and Elon Musk visited the site of the massacre at Kibbutz Kfar Aza pic.twitter.com/RysxgTHuUe
— איתי בלומנטל 🇮🇱 Itay Blumental (@ItayBlumental) November 27, 2023
Musk has faced accusations from the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish civil rights organization, and others of tolerating antisemitic messages on the platform since purchasing it last year, and the content on X has gained increased scrutiny since the war between Israel and Hamas began.
A slew of big brands, including Disney and IBM, decided to stop advertising on the platform after a report by liberal advocacy group Media Matters said ads were appearing alongside pro-Nazi content and white nationalist posts. It came the same week Musk endorsed an antisemitic conspiracy theory that drew outcry, including from the White House.
Musk responded on X this month to a user who accused Jews of hating white people and professing indifference to antisemitism by posting, “You have said the actual truth.”
X has since sued Media Matters, saying the Washington-based nonprofit manufactured the report to “drive advertisers from the platform and destroy X Corp.”
Monday’s visit is not the first time Musk and Netanyahu have met. Netanyahu came to California in September, telling the Tesla CEO that he hopes Musk can find a way to roll back antisemitism and other forms of hatred within the limits of the First Amendment.
I hope people understand that the ADL was not appointed or voted for or in any other way chosen to speak on behalf of the Jewish people. It simply a self rights organization that has a lot of money, run by leftists and used as a bully pulpit against political rivals. Basically an extension of the Democrat party. It may have served a purpose at some point in its history but in its present form it is useless at best.
Good for Elon!
A more retrospective perspective: There was a time when the ADL fought against defamation of Jews. Period. Not from a frum position, but they stuck to their core business. Today they actively champion and defend groups that oppose the Torah. That doesn’t serve the best interests of Jewry. At least they’re honest: they don’t have the word Jew in their name.
For an insane billionare there is something likeable about him.
Today Musk is in Israel. Tomorrow he will amplify antisemitic hate speech on his degraded “x” platform. Just watch.