Jerusalem:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said billionaire tech giant Elon Musk was being “falsely defamed” over a gesture he made at Donald Trump’s inauguration. Critics have described Musk’s gesture as a Nazi salute. “Alon is a great friend of Israel,” Netanyahu wrote on Musk-owned social media site X.
Netanyahu said the billionaire, whom Trump has tasked with cutting U.S. government spending, has “repeatedly and forcefully defended Israel’s right to defend itself against genocidal terrorists and regimes that seek to destroy the only Jewish state.” Have supported.”
He mentioned Musk’s visit to Israel after the attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023. That trip was followed by a separate controversy in which Tesla’s chief executive officer was accused of anti-Semitism.
At the time, Musk endorsed a post accusing Jewish people of “white hatred”, calling it “the real truth”. However, he later apologized.
Since taking over X in 2022, his social media platforms have been accused of spreading anti-Semitism and other forms of racism.
During a November 2023 visit, Musk accompanied Netanyahu to a kibbutz attacked by Hamas and met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who told him he had a “huge role” to play in combating anti-Semitism.
Musk has already rejected criticism over his posture at Trump’s inauguration. On X he posted: “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is so boring.”