Tesla CEO attends joint session with Israeli PM one day after Gaza Starlink is activated
Elon Musk was present at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s congressional speech on Wednesday. Netanyahu is now facing many challenges.
The computer billionaire had revealed the day before that an Israeli government-sponsored hospital in Gaza was now using his Starlink internet service.
Following Netanyahu’s visit to Congress, thousands of people protested against Israeli conduct in the Gaza conflict in the vicinity of Capitol Hill. The question of whether he ought to have been allowed to speak divided the lawmakers.
Musk has a track record of interacting with right-wing politicians whose nations coincide with his commercial objectives. He has established ties with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro. He also welcomed Argentina’s President Javier Millei at his Tesla factory, endorsing his ideas.
In an effort to address charges of antisemitism following his endorsement of a message on his social network X (previously Twitter) claiming Jews despise white people, Musk met with Netanyahu during a trip to Israel last year. Furthermore, there is now more far-right content on the platform.
It appears that SpaceX was able to provide Starlink satellite internet to Gaza thanks to Musk’s visit. He said on Tuesday that the program, which is funded by Israel and the United Arab Emirates, is currently operational at a hospital. The tight restrictions Israel has placed on communications technology in the region are highlighted by just one location.
In the last few weeks, Musk has publicly supported Donald Trump’s bid for president and given the former president specific advice on selecting Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate.
Musk hasn’t stopped posting conservative content or criticising Kamala Harris, the presumed Democratic nominee, but he appears to have scaled back his backing for Trump following Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the contest. Musk refuted a story that said he intended to provide a pro-Trump political action committee a monthly donation of $45 million.
By attending Netanyahu’s gala, Musk is putting further weight behind the Republican party, which backs the Israeli prime minister even as many Democrats condemn his policies. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, one of the radical Democratic members who boycotted Netanyahu’s speech, referred to him as a “war criminal.”
