Elon Musk visited Israel Monday. He toured Kfar Aza, a kibbutz that Hamas attacked on Oct. 7, killing dozens, and was photographed alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The two then recorded a conversation on X, the social media platform Musk owns, and where he has spread antisemitic conspiracy theories. Just this month, for example, Musk wrote, “You have just said the absolute truth” in response to a post that read:
During Musk’s conversation with Netanyahu, the discussion primarily centered around defending Israel’s methods of war in Gaza, with Musk vaguely promising assistance in the reconstruction efforts. Notably, there was no mention of Musk’s earlier posts from this year.
These posts included Musk likening Hungarian-born Jewish billionaire philanthropist George Soros to the supervillain Magneto and stating that Soros harbored hatred for humanity. Additionally, Musk blamed the Anti-Defamation League, an organization founded to combat the defamation of Jews, for advertisers leaving his social media platform. These controversial statements did not surface in Musk’s conversation with Netanyahu. Elon Musk visited
It’s tempting to draw comparisons between Elon Musk’s recent comments and Jonathan Greenblatt, head of the ADL, praising Musk for his stance against hate. However, there’s another context to consider in Musk’s visit to Israel: the Israeli prime minister, leader of the world’s Jewish state, has a history of associating with far-right figures who support him, overlooking their antisemitic remarks.
Notably, Netanyahu has a longstanding political alliance with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has been known for promoting anti-Soros smears. Orbán, who has attacked not only George Soros but also Alex Soros, the billionaire’s son, passed legislation in 2018 criminalizing efforts to aid undocumented immigrants seeking asylum. Despite Orbán’s controversial comments, including ones that seem to play into antisemitic tropes, he was praised by Netanyahu during a visit to Israel for Budapest’s purported opposition to antisemitism. This pattern raises questions about the Israeli prime minister’s approach to figures with far-right associations.