Tesla founder Elon Musk is in Israel to meet with the country’s top leadership, where they will address the suffering of hostages in war-torn Gaza and discuss rising anti-Semitism online.
Since the beginning of the current conflict in the Jewish state, which began with Hamas’s barbaric attack on October 7, Musk has faced waves of criticism for turning a blind eye to anti-Semitism on X, formerly known as Twitter. This criticism has resulted in a reported loss of advertising revenue.
Israeli media reported that Musk would meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as President Isaa Herzog and War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz. The families of some of the hostages will also be present.
The meetings come after an eventful weekend in which scores of hostages, including four-year-old American-Israeli orphan Abigail Mor Edan, were freed from the clutches of Hamas.
Avi Scharf, an aviation expert for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, tweeted that the billionaire’s Gulf Stream landed in Tel Aviv around 8 a.m. local time on Monday.
Benjamin Netanyahu and Elon Musk last met in September, during which the Israeli prime minister spoke about the spread of anti-Semitism on X
Four-year-old orphan Abigail Mor Edan was released on Sunday after 49 days in captivity, celebrating her birthday as a hostage
As part of his trip, Musk will be shown a 44-minute video montage depicting the October 7 atrocities.
Netanyahu met Musk in California on September 18 and urged him to find a balance between protecting free speech and combating hate speech after weeks of controversy over anti-Semitic content on X.
Musk responded that he was against anti-Semitism and anything that “promotes hate and conflict,” repeating his previous statements that X would not promote hate speech.
Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia have increased in the United States and around the world, including during the now seven-week war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
Earlier this month, Musk was again accused of promoting anti-Semitism after he responded to a man who responded to
In the video, a father is seen talking to his son about the online hate his son has spread and confronting him about his rhetoric.
The user of
“I am deeply disinterested in making even the slightest bit of crap now about the Western Jewish population coming to the disturbing realization that the hordes of minorities supporting the flooding of their land don’t particularly like them.”
Earlier this month, Musk was heavily criticized for his reaction to this news on X
“You want the truth told to your face, there it is.”
Musk, who has 163 million followers, responded: “You told the actual truth.”
The father of 11 has long played with delicate rhetoric toward Jews, particularly George Soros, who angered him in May by selling his Tesla shares.
On Sunday, Abigail Mor Edan’s grandfather Carmel said that while he was happy that his granddaughter was now on her way home, he knew that “there are a lot of people who haven’t come back yet.” Abigail was the first American to be released as part of the ceasefire negotiated between Palestine and Israel.
“I very much hope that they will be returned and that the IDF will keep what it promised: all the hostages.” [back] and Hamas [destroyed],’ he said.
The grandfather hasn’t been allowed to speak or meet Abigail yet, but plans to shower her with kisses when they see her again.
“There’s nothing to say,” he added.
Edan was one of 17 hostages released on Sunday, 49 days after war broke out and militants stormed their kibbutz in southern Israel.
Militants shot and killed her parents, Roy Edan (43) and Smadar Edan (40) in the attack.
The first picture of Abigail since her release: seen in a Red Cross ambulance (right) after she was released by Hamas as the first American released
The girl’s siblings, ages 10 and 6, survived after hiding in the family home for hours. Carmel Edan said he had not yet told them about her younger sister’s release.
Abigail, who celebrated her fourth birthday in captivity, is now in the hands of Red Cross officials. President Joe Biden said after her release that what the young woman went through was “unthinkable” and that she had suffered “horrible trauma.”
“I wish I was there to hold her,” Biden said. “Today she is free and Jilly and I join so many Americans in praying that she is well.”
The grandfather thanked Biden and said: “We love him very much for all the help he gives us, Israel.” Moving on. Keep going. We don’t admire you. We love you.’
The terror group has been holding prisoners since its surprise attack on Israel on October 7, which left more than 1,200 Israelis dead. Over 13,000 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli counteroffensive.
State Department officials have not yet released the names of the other American hostages. A total of ten Americans are currently missing.
Of the 17 hostages released on Sunday, 14 were Israelis and three were foreign nationals.
Appearing on ABC’s “This Week,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said it was confirmed that two women, a child and seven men had been abducted by Hamas.
“All of these hostages have endured a terrible ordeal, and this is the beginning of a long journey of healing for them,” Biden said in an address from Nantucket, Massachusetts, where he was celebrating Thanksgiving.
Previously, the President was briefed several times by his national security team on the latest developments related to the release of the hostages from Gaza.
“This morning I was busy with my team as the difficult first days of implementing this deal begin,” Biden said. “It’s just a start, but so far it’s been going well.”
He noted that the first group of hostages included “an elderly woman, a grandmother and mothers with their small children, some under the age of six.”
The sides are currently in a ceasefire under which Israel is repatriating some of the 240 people Hamas took hostage during a cross-border rampage on October 7. In return, Israel released some Palestinians detained for security reasons.