--- description: The Tesla Inc. and SpaceX chief executive is slated to join a closed-door discussion Monday about the need to curb online antisemitism. title: Elon Musk to Meet Israeli President, Families of Hostages as Antisemitism Furor Brews image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt20ba387b03ee8577/698a42ba47ca38029f3bb5e8/Elon-Musk-Antisemitism-Israel-Herzog-Hostages.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [extremism](/tag/extremism/) ## extremism Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Elon Musk Meets Israeli President, Families of Hamas’ Hostages as Antisemitism Furor Brews ## Video: Pope Francis Meets With Relatives of Israeli Hostages and Palestinian Prisoners [Watch (HLS stream): Pope Francis Meets With Relatives of Israeli Hostages and Palestinian Prisoners](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/pwYvPTgP.m3u8) (4:04)  _Published 2023-11-22. Pope Francis met separately Wednesday with relatives of Israeli hostages in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israel and begged for peace and an end to what he called terrorism and “the passions that are killing everyone.”_ by [Marissa Newman / Bloomberg](/author/bloomberg/) ## Marissa Newman / Bloomberg Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Nov 28, 2023 3:41 AM CUTPublished: Nov 27, 2023 3:30 AM CUT  Elon Musk at an event in London on Nov. 2, 2023. Elon Musk at an event in London on Nov. 2, 2023.Kirsty Wigglesworth—WPA Pool/Getty Images by [Marissa Newman / Bloomberg](/author/bloomberg/) ## Marissa Newman / Bloomberg Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Nov 28, 2023 3:41 AM CUTPublished: Nov 27, 2023 3:30 AM CUT Elon Musk, under fire for amplifying antisemitic content on X, accompanied Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a visit to a town devastated by the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. **Read More:** [_Tesla and X Face Advertiser and Investor Fallout Over Elon Musk’s Latest Controversial Post_](https://time.com/6336614/tesla-and-x-face-advertiser-and-investor-fallout-over-elon-musks-controversial-post/ "undefined") The Tesla Inc. and SpaceX chief executive officer was [briefed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-al-vKPfeSo "undefined") by local and military officials in Kfar Aza, where dozens of people were killed. He also met with victims’ families, including relatives of a 4-year-old girl who was freed by Hamas on Sunday, according to a statement by Netanyahu’s office. Musk’s trip to Israel will also include meetings with war cabinet minister Benny Gantz and President Isaac Herzog. It comes as major brands including Apple Inc. and Walt Disney Co. have stopped advertising on his social media platform over concerns of increasing antisemitism and hate speech since he took over Twitter last year. ### More From TIME The billionaire has defended himself from what he labeled “bogus media stories” after he endorsed an antisemitic conspiracy theory earlier this month on X, which drew condemnation from the White House. Musk’s post came around the same time Media Matters published a report showing ads from companies including IBM Corp. and Apple next to pro-Nazi content on the social media platform. [X has sued](https://time.com/6338072/elon-musk-media-matters-x-lawsuit/ "undefined") the liberal watchdog group for allegedly trying to drive away advertisers. Video of Musk showed him wearing protective gear over his suit and occasionally stopping to take pictures as he walked through bullet-scarred buildings in the town, which lies on the border with Gaza. Musk nodded as Israeli officials described the attacks to him. **Read More:** [_Elon Musk Slams Accusations of Antisemitism as ‘Bogus’_](https://time.com/6337462/elon-musk-antisemitism-x-backlash-defense/ "undefined") During the trip to Israel, Musk will meet executives from the country’s technology sector and join Netanyahu to discuss topics including artificial intelligence on Spaces, X’s live audio streaming service, Netanyahu’s diplomatic adviser Ophir Falk said. The Israeli government has been holding talks with Musk over setting up Starlink, which provides satellite-based internet, to back up its wartime communications. Musk last month angered Israeli officials by saying he could provide Starlink to aid organizations in the Gaza Strip. He later walked back the comment. Israel is waging war against Hamas, which the US and the EU have deemed a terrorist organization, after militants killed about 1,200 people and took some 240 hostages in an Oct. 7 attack. Around 15,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and much of the Mediterranean enclave’s been reduced to rubble. The fighting has paused during a temporary [ceasefire](https://time.com/6338641/israel-hamas-hostages-ceasefire-deal/ "undefined") that began on Friday to allow the release of hostages in exchange for Israeli-held prisoners. While Musk has drawn support from notable figures including hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, criticism of the famously outspoken billionaire shows little sign of dying down. UK premier Rishi Sunak in a Bloomberg TV interview on Sunday became the latest to speak out against Musk, in careful criticism that stopped short of the full-throated condemnation by US President Joe Biden. **Read More:** [_Elon Musk Replies to Antisemitic Post on X, Labeling It ‘The Actual Truth’_](https://time.com/6336123/elon-musk-antisemitic-post-x/ "undefined") On Sunday, tens of thousands of people, including former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, attended a march against antisemitism in central London. 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