While entrepreneur Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, may not be a saint, we salute him for paying a solidarity visit to Israel at the end of November. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu escorted him to Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where dozens of people were murdered and some 17 taken hostage by Hamas on October 7. Musk, donning a flak jacket, was briefed by Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council head Yossi Keren and IDF representative Liad Diamond before visiting the homes of Ofir and Nitzan Libstein, and Ram and Lili Itamari, who had all been killed by terrorists.
Netanyahu later hosted Musk in the Knesset, where he was shown parts of the IDF film depicting the horrors of the Hamas massacre. The conversation between the two men was broadcast live on X, formerly Twitter, which Musk purchased last year.
While in Jerusalem, Musk met at the President’s Residence with President Isaac Herzog and relatives of the estimated 136 hostages still being held by Hamas. “Your visit means a lot to us because the world is ever-changing, and you are at the forefront of so many technologies and developments which look ahead for humanity,” Herzog told Musk, adding that unfortunately the world has been “inundated by antisemitism, which is Jew-hatred. And Jew-hatred impacts the behavior of people in so many places around the world. You have a huge role to play. And I think we need to fight it together because of the platforms that you lead.”
Elon Musk, antisemitism, and the Israel-Hamas War
Musk’s visit came amid criticism over his engagement with antisemites on X and its dissemination of misinformation about October 7. After advertisers dropped the platform when Musk called an endorsement of the antisemitic “Great Replacement” theory the “actual truth,” he backtracked, tweeting that he would donate X’s revenue associated with the war to hospitals in Israel and the Red Crescent in Gaza.
Speaking at the President’s Residence, Musk shared that it had been an emotionally difficult day for him to see where people were murdered in cold blood on the kibbutz and watch a video of the murderers rejoicing afterwards.
“Celebrating the murder of innocent people is extremely disturbing,” he said. “So we have to do whatever is necessary to stop the hate. Essentially, these people have been fed propaganda since they were children. And it’s remarkable what humans are capable of if they’re fed falsehoods from when they are children; they will think that the murder of innocent people is a good thing. That is how much propaganda can affect people’s minds.”
Noting that he had discussed the future of the Gaza Strip in depth with Netanyahu, Musk said: “I think there are three things that need to happen in the Gaza situation. There’s no choice but to kill those who insist on murdering civilians. You are not going to change their minds. The second thing is to change their education so the new generation is not trained to be murderers. And the third thing, which is also very important, is to try to build prosperity [in Gaza].”
Rachel Goldberg, the mother of 23-year-old American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, told Musk, “We know there are innocent civilians in Gaza who are also suffering terribly. We as families are suffering horribly, and we would appreciate any help you can provide, and thank you for coming.”
Malki, the father of hostage Omer Shem-Tov, 21, presented Musk with a necklace bearing the words “Bring Them Home,” saying, “I know you’re a very powerful man. And I think… you can [help] raise our voices to bring the hostages back. That will be something very, very meaningful for all the families.”
Following his tour of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Musk tweeted: “Actions speak louder than words.” We appreciate his actions for Israel.
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