Elon Musk and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday toured a southern town that was the site of some of the worst violence during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, as the world’s richest man faces growing furor over antisemitic content on his social media platform X.
The Tesla Inc. and SpaceX chief executive was briefed by local and military officials in Kfar Aza on the massacre and met with victims’ families, including relatives of a 4-year-old girl who was freed by Hamas on Sunday, according to a statement by Netanyahu’s office.
Musk will also meet war cabinet minister Benny Gantz and discuss curbing online antisemitism with President Isaac Herzog and representatives for families of hostages held in Gaza during his visit.
The billionaire has defended himself from what he labeled “bogus media stories” after he endorsed an antisemitic conspiracy theory earlier this month on X, which drew condemnation from the White House and led many major brands to pause advertising on the platform. Critics have accused the service, formerly known as Twitter, of amplifying anti-Jewish hatred.
Musk’s post came around the same time Media Matters published a report showing ads from companies including IBM Corp. and Apple Inc. next to pro-Nazi content on the social media platform. X has sued the liberal watchdog group for allegedly trying to drive away advertisers.
During the trip to Israel, Musk will meet executives from the country’s technology sector and join Netanyahu to discuss topics including artificial intelligence on Spaces, X’s live audio streaming service, Netanyahu’s diplomatic adviser Ophir Falk said.
The Israeli government has been holding talks with Musk over setting up Starlink, which provides satellite-based internet, to back up its wartime communications. Musk last month angered Israeli officials by saying he could provide Starlink to aid organizations in the Gaza Strip. He later walked back the comment.
Israel is waging war against Hamas, which the US and the EU have deemed a terrorist organization, after militants killed about 1,200 people and took some 240 hostages in an Oct. 7 attack. Around 15,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and much of the Mediterranean enclave’s been reduced to rubble.
The fighting has paused during a temporary cease-fire that began on Friday to allow the release of hostages in exchange for Israeli-held prisoners.
While Musk has drawn support from notable figures including hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, criticism of the famously outspoken billionaire shows little sign of dying down. UK premier Rishi Sunak in a Bloomberg TV interview on Sunday became the latest to speak out against Musk, in careful criticism that stopped short of the full-throated condemnation by US President Joe Biden.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak comments on efforts to combat rising antisemitism after the White House criticized Elon Musk’s post endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy theory.
On Sunday, tens of thousands of people, including former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, attended a march against antisemitism in central London. The Israel-Hamas conflict has exacerbated community tensions and led to a spike in antisemitic and Islamophobic rhetoric on social media.
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