Elon Musk started a high-profile tour of Israel almost two months into its struggle in opposition to Hamas, because the entrepreneur stays on the defensive over allegations of latent antisemitism.
Considered one of his first stops was Kfar Aza, a kibbutz the place dozens of Israeli civilians had been massacred by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7. There the proprietor of social media platform X was joined by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who himself is battling calls to resign.
“Actions speak louder than words,” tweeted Musk on Monday, after touching down within the nation.
On Monday, Musk additionally agreed in principle that his Starlink satellites, which offer broadband web communications, might solely be operated within the Gaza Strip with the approval of the Israeli authorities. Netanyahu has sought to safe tactical management of the world amid his ongoing floor incursion to root out Hamas, however the invasion has additionally raised fears that it cuts the world off from the surface world.
Critics view Musk’s high-profile go to as the newest try by the Tesla CEO to clean himself clear of suspicions he harbors bigoted views, suspicions that had been lately reignited by an endorsement he gave to an X put up pushing a long-running antisemitic trope.
Earlier, Musk got here underneath fireplace in Might for calling Jewish financier George Soros a supervillain bent on the “destruction of western civilization” and, in September, for calling the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish-run advocacy group combating bigotry, a “generator” of antisemitism.
Elon Musk, I congratulate you for reaching a precept understanding with the Ministry of Communications underneath my management.
Because of this important settlement, Starlink satellite tv for pc models can solely be operated in Israel with the approval of the Israeli Ministry of…
— 🇮🇱שלמה קרעי – Shlomo Karhi (@shlomo_karhi) November 27, 2023
He subsequently joined Netanyahu in San Francsico, the place Musk referred to as himself a “pro-Semite”. Later he went as far as to explain himself as “aspirationally Jewish”.
The problem appeared resolved till two weeks in the past, when Musk endorsed a social media put up that recommended Jews assist the marginalization of whites in America, calling it the “actual truth”. The transfer prompted a direct rebuke from the Biden administration.
Netanyahu underneath strain to resign
Amid recent suspicions about his views in the direction of Jews, Musk then decreed that utilizing the time period “decolonization” on his platform would henceforth be thought-about tantamount to calling for the genocide of Israel, incomes the approval of the ADL. The time period is used to painting Palestinians as a colonized individuals topic to Israeli authority.
Media Issues for America chair Angelo Carusone instructed Fortune the transfer to ban the time period was “performative”, whereas different critics say the choice served to absolve Musk from having to apologize for his authentic feedback.
“The move made a mockery of the ostensible free speech absolutism that was Musk’s excuse for allowing so much anti-Semitism on X in the first place,” wrote Michelle Goldberg within the New York Instances. “Musk appears to have learned the lesson that ardent Zionism can function as an alibi for anti-Semitism.”
For Israel’s embattled authorities, Musk’s go to provides the possibility to win world assist for its floor invasion of Gaza and deflect consideration from home polls exhibiting a majority need Prime Minister Netanyahu to resign.
Many Israelis blame Netanyahu for a focused coverage of splitting Palestinian leadership by strengthening the Hamas terrorist motion in Gaza. He is also accused of getting ignored intelligence that warned of the Oct. 7 assault, which claimed the lives of about 1,200 individuals.
Veteran Israeli journalist Noga Tarnopolsky criticized Netanyahu for welcoming the controversial entrepreneur somewhat than an precise Jewish world chief like Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Netanyahu ignores him. But he has the time for antisemitism promulgator Elon Musk,” she posted to Musk’s social media platform.
