Video: Elon Musk arrives in Israel on a surprise visit – What is the reason for his visit to Netanyahu?
Elon Musk has once again entered an international conflict. Just as he did with Ukraine or Iran, the richest man in the world has shed light on the Gaza war. In fact, this time he offered internet connectivity via satellite through Starlink so that humanitarian organizations can address the disruptions caused by Israeli attacks. At the same time, he made a series of anti-Semitic comments, prompting the White House to issue a wake-up call and advertisers to flee from the X site, formerly known as Twitter.
All of the above explains the reason for Musk’s visit to Israel on Monday. The businessman visited Kibbutz Kfar Aza, which was the target of a Hamas attack on October 7 that sparked this war. He also met with various institutional representatives and was told the personal stories of some victims, such as an American-Israeli girl of four who was released by Hamas last Sunday as part of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
He had the opportunity to record a short conversation in an audio format, saying “Israel also kills civilians, the difference is that Israel tries to avoid killing civilians” (of course, as Muslims we do not believe this), explains the billionaire, while the president responds saying: “It is a tragedy and we are trying to minimize it.” Musk also points out at another point: “It is worrisome to see protests in favor of Hamas.” The Israeli emphasizes: “They hate Israel and they hate America.” The most shocking aspect is that this conversation does not address the big announcement of the visit so far, which is that the use of Starlink in Gaza is conditioned by the Israeli government. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi clarified that “as a result of this important agreement, Starlink satellite units cannot operate in Israel, including Gaza, without the approval of the Israeli Ministry.”
This is a far cry from what Elon Musk originally advocated, where he affirmed that Starlink would provide “assistance in connecting recognized non-governmental humanitarian aid organizations by the international community.” He then retorted that this would allow Hamas to use it for “terrorist activities.” Musk has already explained that there will be a “security check” before providing the service, but he did not specify that Tel Aviv would oversee the inspection for this service.
In this sense, Elon Musk is scheduled to attend a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog later this afternoon, where representatives of families of Hamas hostages will be present. According to local media, one of the points to be discussed will be the “need to combat increasing online anti-Semitism”. This is one of the topics that Musk and Netanyahu have already discussed in mid-October when they held another face-to-face meeting in California. It is worth noting that the billionaire has always rejected the idea of controlling what is posted on social media networks as long as it is within the law.
Musk’s presence in Israel is closely related to Israel’s significant role in the technology industry. Specifically, it is the second country that allocates the second highest percentage (4.3%) of GDP to research, development, and innovation, allowing it to become a global standard in cybersecurity, intelligence, and weapons. Of course, to achieve this level of development, it was also necessary for the United States to be the main geopolitical ally, reflected in its strong commercial alliances.
