Looks like Elon Musk is meeting Netanyahu and released Hamas hostages in Tel Aviv to counter antisemitism flak

Elon Musk, on November 27, is set to meet with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and families of hostages taken by Hamas, reported Reuters. Musk's visit, confirmed by an Israeli source, comes amid a truce in the Israel-Gaza conflict.

The development, which has been brewing for some time, also follows public outrage over Musk's alleged soft corner for antisemitic content on his platform X (formerly Twitter).

Anti-Semitism refers to feeling or showing hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a cultural, racial, or ethnic group.

Elon Musk landed in Tel Aviv on Monday morning, reported Reuters, citing Haaretz.

Outrage

• The billionaire entrepreneur faced public outrage after his comments on Jews stirred accusations of antisemitic beliefs.
• Musk's response to a tweet on November 15, where he endorsed a post falsely accusing Jewish communities, had ignited a new round of criticism on social media.
• The backlash intensified, with X being accused of allowing hate speech to flourish, prompting an advertiser boycott.

• "This past week, there were hundreds of bogus media stories claiming that I am antisemitic. Nothing could be further from the truth," Musk defended himself in a recent X post.
• On November 15, Musk agreed to a post on platform X that "incorrectly" said Jewish people were fuelling animosity against white people.
• He agreed with the user who endorsed the "Great Replacement" theory, stating that the individual was saying "the real truth".

The White House condemned Musk's endorsement as an "abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate."

According to Reuters, the theory of "Great Replacement" alleges that Jewish people are orchestrating the ethnic and cultural substitution of white populations with non-white immigrants, ultimately resulting in what is described as a "white genocide".

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Meeting objectives

• For experts and onlookers, Musk's meeting with Israeli leaders and hostages' families is seen as part of his damage control efforts.
• Israeli President Herzog's office stressed the need to combat rising antisemitism online during the upcoming meeting.
• The controversy surrounding X's alleged role in spreading hate speech against Jews is likely to be a focal point, Reuters reported.
• After the Israel-Hamas War started in Gaza, antisemitic incidents increased by 400%, reported Reuters.

Condemnation and impact

• White House's condemnation coincided with a pause in advertisements by major US companies on X.
• The economic impact of the war with Hamas adds another layer to Musk's visit to Israel.
• The country's economy, initially poised for growth, is now estimated at around 2%, with slow growth expected in 2024 if the war persists, reported Reuters.

ALSO READ: Why IBM decided to pull its ads from X

• Earlier, Israel's growth projection was 3%.
• Major brands, including Walt Disney, Comcast and Warner Bros Discovery, reportedly paused their ads on X in response to the allegations.
• Musk, in turn, accused Media Matters of manipulating images and promoting pro-Nazi posts and defended X as a platform for diverse viewpoints.
• Elon Musk, on September 18, maintained that X should be a platform for diverse viewpoints saying, "Freedom of speech, not reach."

ALSO READ: Elon Musk wants to change the way news articles and links appear on X. Here's how