Netanyahu takes Elon Musk on tour of kibbutz from which Hamas kidnapped Israelis

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Elon Musk toured a kibbutz attacked by Hamas on Monday during his visit to Israel. It follows an outcry over his endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory on his social media platform, Twitter/X.

The world’s richest man met Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and visited the Kfar Aza kibbutz, which Hamas attacked on 7 October, killing an estimated 52 residents. Another 20 people are reported as missing.

It was the home of four-year-old American-Israeli citizen Abigail Edan, who was taken hostage after her parents were killed by the militant group during the attack. Abigail was reunited with members of her family on Sunday as part of the hostage exchange.

Mr Musk said witnessing the scenes of the massacre was “jarring”, during a live event on Twitter/X with Mr Neetanyahu after the tour.

He said he was troubled by footage that Mr Netanyahu showed him of civilian killings that included children.

The billionaire is also expected to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog who emphasised the need “to combat rising antisemitism online” in a closed-door meeting.

Mr Musk’s visit comes as his social media platform faces a mass exodus of advertisers, in part due to his own endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory.

Earlier this month, Mr Musk responded to a Twitter/X user who accused Jewish people of hating white people by saying it was “the actual truth.”

Several world leaders, including the White House, condemned Mr Musk for endorsing the conspiracy theory.

Meanwhile, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a leading anti-hate organisation which works to stop the defamation of Jewish people, accused Mr Musk of promoting and tolerating antisemitic messages on the platform.

The accusations arrived after the left-leaning group Media Matters for America, found that advertisements for major companies were appearing near pro-Nazi posts.

Mr Musk denied the allegations and filed a defamation suit against Media Matters.

During his visit to Israel on Monday, Mr Musk wrote on Twitter/X that “actions speak louder than words”.

Israel’s minister of communications, Shlomo Karhi announced that a deal had been struck between Mr Musk’s communication company, Starlink, to use satellite units in Israel and the Gaza Strip.

“As the State of Israel fights against Hamas-ISIS, this understanding is vital, as is it for everyone who desires a better world, free of evil and free of antisemitism, for our children’s sake,” Mr Karhi wrote.