Elon Musk, the head of the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, could meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week in the US, according to reports, following criticism over his allegedly relaxed attitude to tackling antisemitism on X.
Netanyahu will meet tech entrepreneurs in California before heading to the UN General Assembly in New York, where he is expected to meet Musk, according to The Times of Israel.
The Israeli PM has already met Musk several times and hailed him as a visionary.
His latest meeting comes amid a clash between Musk and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) after the Tesla boss threatened to sue the US Jewish NGO, accusing them of organising an advertisement boycott of X.
Musk, who has rebranded Twitter as ‘X’, has in the past shared alleged anti-Semitic tropes about George Soros. Photo: Getty
Musk has blamed accusations of anti-Semitism made against him by the ADL for major losses in Twitter’s advertising revenue.
READ: Musk threatens to sue Anti-Defamation League for falling Twitter revenue
ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said his group is not behind the presumed boycott but claimed Musk is “engaging online with users who are espousing antisemitism and hate”.
Some monitors have claimed a spike in hate speech on the platform since Musk bought Twitter. Last week X published a blog stating its commitment to tackling antisemitism.
Netanyahu and his government have also faced criticism for meeting or allying with right-wing populist leaders and groups in Europe, such as Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary.
The most recent of these was when Israel’s ambassador to Romania Reuven Azar last month met George Simion, head of the Christian nationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians. Figures in this party have been accused of defending Romanian allies of Nazi Germany.
Source: The New Arab. 12 Sept 2023