Elon Musk in Israel after backlash over antisemitic post endorsement

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FILE PHOTO: Elon Musk, Chief Executive Officer of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, attends the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre in Paris, France, June 16, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo

Elon Musk, the entrepreneur facing criticism for supporting an anti-Jewish post, toured the site of the Hamas assault on Israel with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and declared his commitment to combatting the spread of hatred.

Musk, the owner of the X platform, Tesla, and SpaceX, also viewed footage of the Oct. 7 Hamas killing spree, where Israel claims 240 people were taken captive. He engaged in a live online chat with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on X Spaces and met families of hostages.

Musk had previously endorsed a post falsely claiming Jewish people were fuelling hatred against white people, leading to the suspension of ads on X. The White House criticised Musk for promoting antisemitic and racist hate.

During his visit to Israel, Musk discussed the need to counter hate and propaganda, emphasizing the importance of addressing antisemitism globally. The visit included talks on Musk’s Starlink operation potentially supporting communication links in Gaza, with an agreement reached regarding the use of Starlink satellite units in Israel and Gaza.

In an X post addressed to Musk, Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said he hoped the visit to Israel “will serve as a springboard for future endeavours, as well as enhance your relationship with the Jewish people and values we share with the entire world.”

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