Elon Musk Visits Israel to Meet top Leaders as Accusations of Antisemitism on X Grow – Elon Musk, facing criticism for alleged antisemitism on his social media platform X, visited Israel on Monday. During his trip, he toured the Kfar Azza kibbutz, which was attacked by Hamas militants last month, and had scheduled meetings with top leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Donning a protective vest and accompanied by a security detail amid rain, Musk, as captured in video footage released by Netanyahu’s office, used his phone to document the aftermath of the devastation. The Tesla CEO, along with the prime minister, visited homes of victims, including the family of Abigail Edan, a 4-year-old with dual Israeli-U.S. citizenship, held hostage by Hamas after her parents’ death.
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Musk and Netanyahu also had plans to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Benny Gantz, a former defense minister now part of a special war Cabinet. Eylon Levy, a government spokesperson, refrained from disclosing whether Musk was invited or attended voluntarily. X, previously identified as Twitter, did not provide a comment in response to the inquiry.
Earlier on Monday, Israel’s communications minister, Shlomo Karhi, took to Twitter to announce an agreement between his ministry and 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.
Accusations from the Anti-Defamation League and others, including claims of tolerating antisemitic content, have been directed at Musk since his purchase of the platform last year. The scrutiny of content on X has intensified notably during the Israel-Hamas conflict. Following a report by the liberal advocacy group Media Matters revealing ads alongside pro-Nazi content and white nationalist posts, major brands such as Disney and IBM chose to halt advertising on the platform.
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This decision coincided with Musk endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy theory in the same week, eliciting criticism, 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 saying, “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.”