Netanyahu: The Destruction of Hamas is Essential; Elon Musk: I Want to Help Too

Elon Musk, entrepreneur and founder of SpaceX and Starlink, and owner of the social network X (formerly Twitter), supported Israel's war against Hamas during an online conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday. He expressed his general agreement with Netanyahu's assertion that Israel considers the destruction of Hamas a necessary war objective for any peace with the Palestinians. Netanyahu showed Musk videos of Hamas attacks on Israel. In response, Musk stated, 'There is no option, and I want to help too.' He added that those who intend to kill must be neutralized. 'The propaganda that trains people to be killers in the future must stop so that Gaza can be rebuilt. If this happens, I think there will be a good future.' Netanyahu responded, 'I hope you will participate in this matter. I think your coming here speaks to your commitment to efforts to ensure a better future.' In their last meeting in September in California, Netanyahu asked Musk to balance the protection of free speech with combating hate speech on X, following weeks of debate over antisemitism. Musk had previously stated that he opposes antisemitism and anything that promotes 'hatred and conflict, including any content on X.' He said, 'X should be a platform for the expression of diverse views; however, the company limits the distribution of specific posts that may violate its policies, calling this approach 'freedom of speech, not freedom of access.' In the wake of the Hamas-Israel conflict, Musk had previously proposed using Starlink to support communication links in Gaza with 'recognized international relief organizations.' At that time, Israel's Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi opposed this, saying, 'Hamas will use it (Starlink) for terrorist activities.' However, on Monday, he stated that Israel and Musk had reached a principled agreement whereby 'Starlink satellite units can only operate in Israel and Gaza with the approval of the Israeli Communications Ministry.' Karhi expressed hope that Musk's visit to Israel would serve as a springboard for future efforts and strengthen relations with Jews and the values they share with the world. Musk was accused of incitement after endorsing a post that falsely claimed Jews incite hatred against white people. Musk is also set to meet with Isaac Herzog, the President of Israel, and families of Hamas hostages in Gaza. Herzog's office stated that he and Musk will discuss 'the necessity of action to combat antisemitism in cyberspace.' As the seven-week war in Gaza continues, antisemitism and Islamophobia have increased worldwide.