Western Media Reflect on Musk's Visit to Israel

Western media have covered the visit of American billionaire Elon Musk, the head of Tesla and SpaceX, as well as the X social media platform, to Israel. Previously, Musk had announced that Starlink terminals would be provided to internationally recognized organizations offering assistance in Gaza.

In response, Israel's Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi stated that Tel Aviv would use all available means to prevent the use of Starlink's satellite communication by Hamas. The official also agreed with a post made on X by one user who expressed the view that Jewish communities are "inciting hatred." This led to criticism from the White House and a massive pullout of advertisers from Musk's platform, according to CNN.

“The controversies quickly turned into a massive commercial headache for the company. At least a dozen major brands have halted advertising on the X social network. These include Disney, IBM, Fox Sports, and even the European Commission,” the channel notes.

The New York Times believes that against the backdrop of the scandal, Elon Musk decided to visit Israel to quell complaints regarding his support for anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.

“After arriving in Israel, Musk wrote that ‘actions speak louder than words.’ Wearing a bulletproof vest, he toured the Israeli town of Kfar Aza, where dozens had been killed during Hamas's terrorist attack on October 7,” the article states. Musk agreed on the importance of minimizing losses among the civilian population in the enclave.

In turn, Bloomberg highlighted that Elon Musk expressed a desire to help in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip after the war with Hamas. According to the agency, the political storm surrounding hate speech on the social media platform has not calmed down after the visit.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced that she is leaving the platform, as it has become “a space filled with misinformation, anti-Semitism, overt racism, and organized harassment.”