Israeli journalists are blasting tech billionaire Elon Musk's visit to Israel this week as the X owner is facing accusations of antisemitism.
On Monday, Musk met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhu, Israeli President Isaac Herzog as well as the families of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas. He also toured an Israeli kibbutz where civilians were murdered on Oct. 7 during terrorist attacks.
But his trip wasn't welcomed by everyone in Israel, particularly members of the media.
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"Blatant antisemite & publisher of antisemitism Elon Musk should be persona non grata in Israel," Haaretz editor in chief Esther Solomon posted on X. "Instead, Netanyahu - plumbing new depths of amoral sycophancy - gifts him a PR visit to the kibbutzim devastated by Hamas. Profane, venal, bilious, both of them."
"Hard to stomach welcoming someone who just days ago endorsed a virulently antisemitic trope, has dabbled for years in antisemitism and has turned this platform into a cesspool of hate. It's quite frankly gross," Times of Israel reporter Amy Spiro similarly wrote.
Musk has been under fire in recent weeks for appearing to endorse what's been widely labeled an antisemitic post on X.
The post from an X user read, "Jewish communities have been pushing the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them. I'm deeply disinterested in giving the tiniest s--- now about western Jewish populations coming to the disturbing realization that those hordes of minorities that support flooding their country don't exactly like them too much. You want truth said to your face, there it is."
Musk replied, "You have said the actual truth."
The billionaire tech tycoon later clarified he was referring to the Anti-Defamation League over its progressive politics, writing "The ADL unjustly attacks the majority of the West, despite the majority of the West supporting the Jewish people and Israel. This is because they cannot, by their own tenets, criticize the minority groups who are their primary threat."
But that didn't stop his critics from leveling antisemitism charges against him and attacking his social media platform for not cracking down on antisemitic rhetoric.
In addition, major advertisers including IBM, Apple, Disney, Lionsgate and Paramount have fled X after the liberal advocacy group Media Matters published a report alleging their ads were appearing alongside antisemitic content.
However, a lawsuit filed against Media Matters by Musk alleged the group "completely misrepresented the real user experience" in order to mislead advertisers.
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Musk called his visit to Israel an "emotionally difficult day to see the places where people were murdered" and that there's "no choice" but for Israel to kill Hamas for murdering civilians.
His trip came after his announcement last week that X Corp. "will be donating all revenue from advertising & subscriptions associated with the war in Gaza to hospitals in Israel and the Red Cross/Crescent in Gaza."
