Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk got an unfiltered look at the ravages of war during his recent visit to Israel. As could be seen in social media posts from the country’s officials, Musk met with several people during his visit, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and the families of hostages currently being held by Hamas.
Musk’s visit to Israel was somber, though it carried some hope that the conflict between Israel and Hamas would end. Together with armed guards and the Prime Minister, Musk was sighted visiting an Israeli kibbutz that was attacked by Hamas. The experience gave Musk a firsthand look at the atrocities of the ongoing war, which the CEO specifically mentioned during a later X Spaces session with the Israeli Prime Minister.
In a recent video posted by the Office of the President of Israel, Musk could be seen interacting with several family members of hostages currently being held by Hamas. An Israeli mother called Rachel showed Musk a video of her son, who was already badly injured, being abducted. An Israeli father, Malki, whose son, Omer, is also being held hostage, presented Musk with a dog tag inscribed “Our hearts are hostage in Gaza.”
I will wear it every day until your loved ones are released
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 27, 2023
Musk seemed affected by what he saw in Israel, and in the video from the Office of the President of Israel, the CEO could be seen embracing the hostage’s father. Musk also noted in a post on X that he would be wearing the dog tag every day until the hostages are released. The gesture, while small, was appreciated by numerous social media users.
During Musk’s meeting with the Israeli President, Herzog highlighted that the CEO had a notable role to play when it comes to combating antisemitism in social media, as noted in a Times of Israel report. Such sentiments are justifiable considering that Musk’s social media platform, X, formerly known as Twitter, is typically where real-time information about world events is posted first.
“Unfortunately, we are inundated by antisemitism, which is Jew hate, and Jew hate impacts the entire notion of behavior of human beings in so many places around the world. And you have a huge role to play, and I think we need to fight it together, because under the platforms you lead, unfortunately, there is a harboring of a lot of old hate which is Jew hate, which is antisemitism. You’ve seen how evil can supersede everything, you’ve seen this morning what hate can bring about, you’ve seen how… thought turns into evil turns into hate and into bloodshed,” the Israeli President said.
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