- Elon Musk is cosplaying statesmanship.
- Musk is visiting Israel after being criticized for endorsing an antisemitic post on X.
Elon Musk is back in his statesman costume.
The world's richest man and X owner arrived in Israel on Monday to visit the scenes of Hamas' October 7 terrorist attacks during a temporary ceasefire between the two sides.
He spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a live X Spaces call; he has met the families of hostages; visited destroyed kibbutzim; and reportedly pored over body cam footage provided by Israel from the attack last month.
In press images handed out by the Israeli government, Musk is shown sporting a flak jacket and a somber look as he toured Kfar Aza, a kibbutz located a few kilometers from the border with the Gaza Strip and the site of a brutal massacre on October 7.
Elsewhere, he is shown in a pose typically reserved for world leaders.
"Trite as it may sound, I wish for world peace," he wrote on X after the live chat with Bibi.
In a conversation with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, he said "there's no choice but to kill those who insist on murdering civilians."
While American CEOs have expressed strong support for Israel, none have so publicly straddled the line between diplomacy and business in this way. But Musk's varied corporate interests place him unusually close to governments, with unusual frequency.
Behind the scenes of this diplomatic show, Musk appears to have agitated for his corporate interests.
Prior to his visit, Musk said he wanted to supply internet connectivity to organizations in Gaza, which has suffered blackouts after Israeli strikes.
Israel's communications minister Shlomo Karhi condemned the idea, saying Hamas would co-opt Starlink connectivity to plan "terrorist activities."
Starlink will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2023
[ComStar]
On Monday, as Musk visited, Israel softened its stance, with Karhi saying Musk could provide satellite-powered internet connectivity to Gaza with Israel's permission. Musk has yet to confirm a deal.
Musk has earlier blurred the lines of diplomacy and business by weighing in on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, controversially criticizing the latter's counteroffensive as "so much death for so little." Starlink began providing internet connectivity for Ukraine after the invasion, though Musk is yet to visit.
The tycoon has also used his ownership of X, still the fastest way to broadcast unfiltered opinions to his 165 million followers, to take controversial positions on international affairs.
Earlier this month, riots broke out in Dublin, Ireland following reports of a knife attack on a woman and three young children at a primary school. Anti-immigration activists suggested on social media that the suspect was a foreigner, fuelling far-right protests and violence in the Irish capital.
Drew Harris, commissioner of the Garda, Ireland's national police, described the rioters as "complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology."
Prime Minister Leo Varadkar called for laws on incitement to hatred to be updated.
Musk's response? "Ironically, the Irish PM hates the Irish people."
Ironically, the Irish PM hates the Irish people
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 24, 2023
As an approach to business development, none of this looks particularly sure-footed.
Musk's trip to the Middle East comes days after his apparent endorsement of an antisemitic post by another user on X. "You have said the actual truth," Musk told the user, who criticized "western Jewish populations" in their post. The exchange was condemned by the White House as "abhorrent" antisemitism, a charge denied by Musk.
This past week, there were hundreds of bogus media stories claiming that I am antisemitic.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 19, 2023
Nothing could be further from the truth.
I wish only the best for humanity and a prosperous and exciting future for all.
Esther Solomon, editor-in-chief of Israeli newspaper Haaretz, labelled Musk a "blatant antisemite" and slammed Netanyahu for entertaining the tycoon.
Blatant antisemite & publisher of antisemitism Elon Musk should be persona non grata in Israel. Instead, Netanyahu - plumbing new depths of amoral sycophancy - gifts him a PR visit to the kibbutzim devastated by Hamas. Profane, venal, bilious, both of themhttps://t.co/zGc10w8Y9H pic.twitter.com/XMkitJclUt
— Esther Solomon (@EstherSolomon) November 27, 2023
And X is battling with an advertiser exodus as brands fret about digital ads appearing next to racist and even pro-Nazi content on the platform, particularly amid the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Business Insider's Lara O'Reilly reported in October that most major brands have halted ads on X. A report from The New York Times last week, based on internal documents, suggested X could lose up to $75 million in revenue from companies fed up with Musk's online posting.