Elon Musk's Showdown with Benjamin Netanyahu: The Battle Against Antisemitism

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Elon Musk, the owner of X, on Monday. It is anticipated that Netanyahu will address concerns regarding X's management of antisemitism on its social media platforms. This visit in California, preceding Netanyahu's meetings with global leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, presents an opportunity for Musk to respond to allegations that X (formerly known as Twitter) has allowed hate speech to spread on its platform.

However, Netanyahu, a highly influential Jewish leader worldwide, who portrays himself as an outspoken opponent of antisemitism, might exert influence on Musk to take further action. "If Elon Musk is the proprietor of Twitter, a platform where antisemitic material is shared, I am confident that the prime minister will raise the issue during the meeting, emphasizing the importance of Musk guaranteeing that Twitter ceases to serve as a platform for disseminating antisemitic content," stated Gilad Erdan, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, during an interview with Israel's Army Radio on Monday, prior to the meeting.

Netanyahu and Musk are scheduled to take part in a live conversation that will be streamed on X at 12:15 pm ET.

Following the acquisition of the company last year, Musk has terminated over 80% of X's workforce, including several members of its trust and safety teams who were responsible for creating and enforcing content guidelines on the platform.

In addition to sparking accusations of weakening X's enforcement against hate speech, Musk has also caused tensions with civil society groups, specifically the Anti-Defamation League. Musk has even threatened to sue the organization over their criticisms of X. In August, X filed a lawsuit against another hate speech watchdog group called the Center for Countering Digital Hate. This was in response to the research conducted by the nonprofit, which revealed that X had failed to remove content that violated its own rules.

During his press conference before leaving Israel, Netanyahu mentioned that he and Musk would also discuss artificial intelligence. Netanyahu expressed his intention to seek investment from Musk in Israel's AI industry. This discussion comes just a week after Musk's visit to Washington, where he met with over 60 US senators, as well as other tech CEOs and civil society leaders. The purpose of the meeting was to address the advantages and risks associated with AI.

Netanyahu hailed Musk as the forefront leader in revolutionary advancements in the modern era, asserting that his influence is not only transformative for humanity but also for Israel. Although Musk has recently introduced xAI, a new AI company aimed at unraveling the true essence of the universe, it is overshadowed by established industry heavyweights such as Google, OpenAI, IBM, who possess substantial cloud computing resources, processing hardware, and a vast pool of AI experts.

However, Netanyahus' comments emphasize the significant political and economic implications for his administration, as well as the chance to establish Israel as a prominent player in the rapidly expanding AI industry. During an interview on Army Radio, Erdan hinted at the potential conflicts that may arise between Musk and Netanyahu regarding X's anti-Semitic content.

Meeting with Elon Musk does not imply agreement with his every position or stance, just as meeting with Erdogan does not signify endorsement of everything that Erdogan says or does, Erdan explained, alluding to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.