Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Elon Musk on Monday and gave him a tour of the Gaza Strip, a highly unusual move that sparked controversy.
Netanyahu and Musk met in Tel Aviv to discuss potential collaborations in space exploration and technology development. After their meeting, Netanyahu took Musk to visit Kibbutz Kfar Gaza, a border community close to the Gaza Strip, and showed him the aftermath of rocket attacks by Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza.
Netanyahu shared a photo of him and Musk on X (formerly Twitter), along with a caption showing how Hamas attacked Israel.
“I visited Kibbutz Kfar Gaza with Elon Musk to show him up close the crimes against humanity committed by Hamas,” Netanyahu wrote.
Elon Musk has expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas attacks, while recognizing the need for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. He called for an end to propaganda inciting violence and proposed using his Starlink satellite internet service to provide communications links to humanitarian organizations in Gaza.
“There is no choice,” said Musk, who also owns Tesla and SpaceX, adding: “I would also like to help.”
“Those who intend to commit murder must be neutralized,” Musk said. “Propaganda that trains people to become murderers must stop. And then, make Gaza prosperous. And if that happens, I think it will be a great future.
Netanyahu responded: “I hope you will be involved. And the fact that you came here, I think, speaks volumes about your commitment to trying to secure a better future.
It is important to note that Elon Musk has been accused of inciting hatred on several occasions, including his agreement with a post falsely claiming that Jews fueled hatred against white people.
In this case, Prime Minister Netanyahu showed Elon Musk footage of the October 7 attack gathered from Hamas body cameras, CCTV and other sources. These images were likely intended to demonstrate the brutality of the attack and the need for Israel to defend itself.
Israel has been fighting Hamas, which the United States and EU have designated a terrorist organization, since the Oct. 7 massacre in which the terrorists murdered more than 1,200 people and captured 240 hostages.
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