Why is Elon Musk meeting with Israel’s prime minister?
Elon Musk is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday as the tech titan continues to fight accusations that he’s letting antisemitism run rampant on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“The meeting is the latest step in a campaign by Musk’s Jewish friends and allies, and executives of his social media company, to stave off the mounting controversy,” according to The Washington Post.
Musk, Netanyahu and other tech leaders are expected to discuss artificial intelligence, among other topics, The Associated Press reported. The visit in Silicon Valley was added onto the prime minister’s already planned trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Elon Musk faces antisemitism accusations
Unnamed sources told The Washington Post that the meeting is aimed at improving Musk’s image as he continues to spar with the Anti-Defamation League over free speech issues.
The Anti-Defamation League has accused Musk “of allowing antisemitism and hate speech to spread on X,” the AP reported. The League’s director, Jonathan Greenblatt, has criticized Musk for engaging with X users who attack the Jewish community.
For his part, Musk has claimed that the Anti-Defamation League is out to sink his social media platform. He’s repeatedly complained about the organization on X, including by sharing memes that mock its work.
Musk has also threatened to sue the Anti-Defamation League for defamation.
“He said the league was responsible for a 60% drop in revenue at X,” the AP reported.
But Musk has also posted about his opposition to antisemitism.
“To be super clear, I’m pro free speech, but against anti-Semitism of any kind,” he said on Sept. 4.
Elon Musk vs. the Anti-Defamation League
Although X has not yet filed a lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League, The Washington Post reported that top X executives are planning for one.
“The proposed lawsuit, which has not been filed, would dispute the methodologies used by the ADL and other advocacy groups as evidence that inaccurate, hateful and violent posts have surged on X,” the article said.
Advertising experts told the Post that it’s misguided to blame rising concern about hate speech for X’s financial issues.
“It’s clear Twitter’s drop-off in ad revenue started months ago as a result of changes the platform made to ad formats,” Sara Livingston, a marketing analytics consultant, told The Washington Post.
Leaders at X have also struggled to quiet potential advertisers’ concerns about Musk’s online behavior, which is often controversial.
For example, in May, Musk faced intense pushback for criticizing George Soros, a prominent financier who is regularly the target of antisemitic attacks, as CNN reported at the time.
“Musk compared him to X-Men villain Magneto, who like Soros was a survivor of the Holocaust,” and said he hates humanity, CNN reported.
Musk also turned to Netanyahu for help in the wake of that scandal, according to The Washington Post.
“This summer, Netanyahu smoothed things over,” the Post reported. “Netanyahu’s government minister tasked with fighting antisemitism made of point of saying that Musk’s comments were not antisemitic, despite widespread outcry in Israel.”