Israeli Prime Minister Urges Elon Musk To Address Antisemitism on Social Media Platform X
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Elon Musk on Monday, urging the tech billionaire to curb antisemitism on X, the social media platform Musk owns. The conversation took place at Tesla’s Fremont, California, factory and was broadcast live on X.
Netanyahu expressed the need to strike a balance between free speech and curbing hate speech, particularly antisemitism. “I hope you find within the confines of the First Amendment, the ability to not only stop antisemitism but also any collective hatred,” said Netanyahu.
Musk responded by affirming his stance against hate speech but emphasized the need to maintain free speech. “I am against antisemitism and against anything that promotes hate and conflict,” he stated.
Earlier this month, Musk accused the Anti-Defamation League, a US-based Jewish nongovernmental organization that combats antisemitism and extremism, of “trying to kill” X and causing a 60% drop in the platform’s US ad revenue. He also had interactions on X that raised questions about his commitment to combating hate speech.
The meeting garnered attention within Tesla, as Musk disclosed that he faced more internal pushback for this meeting than “anything else I’ve ever done.” Outside Tesla’s factory, about 200 protesters gathered, objecting to Netanyahu’s proposed judicial overhaul in Israel, a topic that also surfaced during the meeting.
