Elon Musk visits Israel and meets with Netanyahu
Elon Musk visits Israel and meets with Netanyahu
Despite being accused of anti-Semitism, the software billionaire has expressed support for Israel's war against Hamas.
| November 28, 2023
Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressing support for Israel's battle against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and touring a kibbutz that was attacked on October 7 by Palestinian terrorists.
The visit takes place in the midst of controversy for Musk, who recently provoked outrage by labeling as "the actual truth" an anti-Semitic social media post that promoted the conspiracy theory that progressive Jews are helping to "replace" white people in the West with immigrants from the Global South.
In an interview with Netanyahu on X Spaces, Musk stated that it was "jarring to see the scene of the massacre" and that Israel had "no choice" but to destroy Hamas during their tour of the destroyed kibbutz of Kfar Aza.
The journey takes place on the fourth day of an extended ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, under which Israel is freeing Palestinian inmates in exchange for the return of several captives.
Additionally, Musk is expected to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. According to a statement from Herzog's office, the discussion would highlight "the need to act to combat rising antisemitism online."
The social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has come under fire from critics who claim that hate speech and anti-Semitic content have increased under Musk's leadership. Several businesses have suspended their advertising on the platform after a report claimed that X was showing their ads next to content from neo-Nazis and white nationalists.
X Corp is presently suing Media Matters, a nonprofit organization, claiming that by portraying the website as being filled with anti-Semitic content, it has scared away sponsors.
Additionally, Musk has threatened to sue the Jewish advocacy group Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for allegedly allowing harmful and racist comments to flourish on the website after completing his $44 billion buy.
Consent regarding Starlink
Musk had earlier suggested using SpaceX's Starlink communications channel to improve communications, and as he arrived, Israel announced that it had reached an agreement "in principle" to utilize it in Gaza.
The deal represented a significant turnabout for Israel, whose minister of communications had earlier rejected the notion of allowing Starlink to connect to Gaza on the grounds that Hamas would utilize it for “terrorist activities”.
However, Israeli Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi declared on Monday that Israel and the Palestinian Authority had struck a preliminary agreement that states that "Starlink satellite units can only be operated in Israel with the approval of the Israeli Ministry of Communications, including the Gaza Strip."
Karhi expressed his hope that Musk's trip to Israel "will serve as a springboard for future endeavors, as well as enhance your relationship with the Jewish people and values we share with the entire world" in a post on X that was directed at the businessman.
With content shared by both pro-Israel and pro-Palestine users as well as government officials, X has been a major hub for discussion and information regarding the Gaza War. Critics counter that during the conflict, technology has also served to spread false information, conspiracy theories, and offensive material, including anti-Semitic remarks.
According to the ADL, anti-Semitism incidents in the US increased by about 400% from the same period last year after the Gaza conflict broke out on October 7.
Between October 7 and November 4, there was a 216 percent increase in occurrences of Islamophobia and anti-Arab sentiment, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Source ALJAZEERA
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