Elon Musk is reportedly scheduled to travel to Israel next week to meet with the country’s leaders and visit sites of tragedy. Israeli TV reports that the world’s richest man is planning to visit in the midst of controversy surrounding allegations of anti-Semitic content on X/Twitter.
The tech magnate has faced criticism for not addressing the spread of hate speech on the platform and has been accused of sharing anti-Semitic content himself. Musk is expected to meet with President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and is also anticipated to visit border towns affected by a recent attack by Hamas.
This visit comes after previous meetings between Musk and Israeli leaders, during which they discussed AI and anti-Semitism. Musk’s willingness to offer assistance to aid organizations working in Gaza has drawn criticism from Israeli officials, leading to warnings that Israel would block any attempts to provide internet connectivity to the besieged Gaza Strip.
Musk has been involved in a legal battle with a watchdog group over criticism of X/Twitter’s handling of hate speech on the platform, and several major companies have pulled their advertising in response to the controversy. The tech giant has denied accusations of anti-Semitism and clarified that his comments were not meant to target all Jewish people, but rather specific organizations.
In the midst of these issues, other social media platforms like TikTok have also come under fire for hate speech. Jewish content creators and celebrities met with TikTok executives to address harmful content on the platform.