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Elon Musk\u2019s Israel trip: What was the purpose, what did he tell Netanyahu? | Israel-Palestine conflict News<\/p>\n
Billionaire tycoon Elon Musk, who has been accused of platforming anti-Semitic content on his social media platform X, on Monday met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to Israel.<\/p>\n
Accompanied by Netanyahu, the tech billionaire also visited a kibbutz that was raided by Hamas fighters on October 7, during an assault that left 1,200 people dead and triggered Israel\u2019s deadliest-ever military assault on Gaza. Nearly 15,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel\u2019s bombardment of the coastal enclave.<\/p>\n
Musk was said to have backed Israel\u2019s war on Gaza after the trip that came during the truce between Hamas and Israel.<\/p>\n
Musk also agreed to not provide internet access to Gaza through his satellite company Starlink without Israeli approval.<\/p>\n
Here is what to know about Musk\u2019s visit to Israel and its significance.<\/p>\n
Musk\u2019s visit to Israel, which came amid a truce between Hamas and Israel, follows backlash against a post on X that many have labelled as anti-Semitic, triggering a wave of advertisement withdrawals from the platform by corporate giants such as Apple and IBM, potentially costing X millions of dollars.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, Musk agreed with a social media post accusing Jewish people of pushing \u201cdialectical hatred\u201d against white people. Musk\u2019s remarks received condemnation in the United States from the White House for being \u201cabhorrent\u201d.<\/p>\n
Musk has also been accused of allowing advertisements from major corporations next to neo-Nazi and white nationalist content.<\/p>\n
X is also facing a probe from the European Union into the spread of disinformation and violent content about Israel\u2019s war on Gaza.<\/p>\n
Musk has either criticised or denied findings from organisations such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Center for Countering Digital Hate that X has witnessed an increase in hate speech since he became CEO last year.<\/p>\n
X has sued Media Matters after accusing the media watchdog of manipulating an algorithm to drive away advertisers.<\/p>\n
The watchdog has called the lawsuit \u201cfrivolous\u201d.<\/p>\n
Escorted by Netanyahu and other security personnel, Musk toured the Kfar Aza kibbutz, attacked by Hamas fighters on October 7. He was also shown footage of the Hamas attack and met some of the families of people taken into captivity from Israel.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was jarring to see the scene of the massacre,\u201d said Musk later in an X Spaces conversation with Netanyahu, adding Israel has \u201cno choice\u201d but to eliminate Hamas.<\/p>\n
In the brief life-streamed conversation on X, Musk and Netanyahu agreed that Hamas needs to be eradicated \u2013 a mission that Israel has used as justification for its military offensive that has claimed overwhelmingly civilian lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou first have to get rid of the poisonous regime as you did in Germany, as you did in Japan. Yeah, in World War II,\u201d said Netanyahu.<\/p>\n
Musk replied, \u201cThere\u2019s no choice. There\u2019s no choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Israeli President Isaac Herzog told Musk during a meeting that he had a huge role to play in the global fight against anti-Semitism.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to do whatever is necessary to stop the hate,\u201d Musk replied, according to a statement released by Herzog\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
On the X space, Netanyahu said that Musk\u2019s visit to Israel points to his solidarity with Israel.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that you came here, I think, speaks volumes to your commitment to try to secure a better future\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
Netanyahu reminded Musk that the last time they spoke, the two had a conversation about artificial intelligence. He told the tech CEO that \u201cgreat talents are available\u201d in Israel and pointed to Israeli manufacturing of iPhones and operations of the navigation app, Waze.<\/p>\n
Netanyahu previously met Musk in California on September 18 where the Israeli prime minister urged him to strike a balance between protecting free expression and fighting hate speech after weeks of controversy over anti-Semitism on X.<\/p>\n
Musk responded by saying he was against anti-Semitism and against anything that \u201cpromotes hate and conflict\u201d, repeating his previous statements that X would not promote hate speech.<\/p>\n
An Israeli government source described Monday\u2019s visit as a follow-up to the September meeting.<\/p>\n
Musk\u2019s visit to Israel is being criticised by some supporters of Israel and Palestine.<\/p>\n
Esther Solomon, editor-in-chief of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, blasted Musk\u2019s trip as a \u201cPR visit\u201d in a post on X.<\/p>\n
In an opinion piece on the news site, Haaretz correspondent Ben Samuels also said Israel\u2019s embrace of Musk is a \u201cbetrayal of Jews\u201d and a \u201cstain on Netanyahu\u2019s legacy\u201d.<\/p>\n
Musk has also been questioned online for not visiting Gaza despite the deaths and destruction wrought on the territory by Israeli bombs.<\/p>\n
\nBlatant antisemite & publisher of antisemitism Elon Musk should be persona non grata in Israel. Instead, Netanyahu \u2013 plumbing new depths of amoral sycophancy \u2013 gifts him a PR visit to the kibbutzim devastated by Hamas. Profane, venal, bilious, both of themhttps:\/\/t.co\/zGc10w8Y9H pic.twitter.com\/XMkitJclUt<\/a><\/p>\n