Jerusalem:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk was being “unfairly maligned” over a gesture he made at Donald Trump’s inauguration that critics described as a Nazi salute.
“Alon is a great friend of Israel,” Netanyahu posted on Musk-owned social media site X.
Netanyahu said the billionaire, whom Trump has tasked with cutting U.S. government spending, has “repeatedly and strongly supported Israel’s right to defend itself against genocidal terrorists and a regime that is the only Jewish state.” want to destroyâ.
Thank you https://t.co/onSO3PY9CA
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 23 January 2025
He referred to Musk’s visit to Israel following the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas. That trip followed a separate controversy in which Tesla’s chief executive was accused of anti-Semitism.
At the time, Musk endorsed a post accusing Jewish people of “hate against whites”, calling it “the real truth”. Later he apologized.
He has been accused of spreading anti-Semitism and other forms of racism on his social media platforms since taking office in 2022.
During a November 2023 visit, Musk visited a kibbutz attacked by Hamas with Netanyahu and met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who told him he had “a big role” in combating anti-Semitism.
Musk himself has already rejected criticism of his inauguration ceremony, posting on
(TagstoTranslate)Elon Musk(T)Elon Musk Salute Row(T)Benjamin Netanyahu
