Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO and owner of X (previously known as Twitter), responded on Sunday to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's statement celebrating Hamas' attacks on Israel. The tech billionaire's remarks have received public attention and might affect the current Middle East crisis.
Musk emphasized Khamenei's remarks in a post on X, claiming that they unmistakably represent Iran's intention to destroy Israel rather than just assist the Palestinians. He said, "Khamenei's official position is clear: the eradication of Israel is the actual goal, not just supporting Palestinians," as quoted by The Hill.
In his X post, the tech tycoon stressed that the cycle of violence and retribution has endured for decades and that hatred is unproductive.
He responded to Khamenei's statement, which contained video of the chaotic scenario as people ran for their lives under gunfire and welcomed the indiscriminate deaths of Israeli concertgoers. The hashtag #AlAqsaStorm was used in Khamenei's message, which expressed the desire for the destruction of the "usurper Zionist regime" by the Palestinian people and local resistance forces.
Khamenei’s official position is clear that the eradication of Israel is the actual goal, not just supporting Palestinians.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 8, 2023
That will not happen. All that actually happens, decade after decade, is a never-ending cycle of violence and vengeance.
Stoking the fires of hatred isn’t… https://t.co/ffNuY9AgAC
The message of Iran's Supreme Leader addressed the music festival assaults, which killed 260 people, according to ZAKA. Abductions also occurred during the Sukkot concert, according to reports.
Khamenei's post on X was notable for having a warning that said it was against the platform's guidelines. However, X decided to retain the job open, claiming that doing so could be in the best interests of the general public.
Elon Musk's Engagement in the Middle East Crisis
Elon Musk has engaged in several conversations on X about the current Middle East conflict, including this one in response to the latest events in Israel. Musk acknowledged his worry over the issue in a recent X post, writing, "Sorry to see what's happening in Israel. One day, I hope, there will be peace," as quoted in a report by Yahoo! Finance.
Beyond social media, Musk is involved in the Middle East problem; last month, he visited with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in California. The topic of fighting antisemitism on the social networking site apparently dominated their meeting, demonstrating Musk's dedication to combating such problems.
Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasized the seriousness of the situation by stating that Israel is presently at war as the crisis continues to develop with numerous attacks and deaths.
Elon Musk, responding with "war" to a thread on the rising violence in Israel, showed his awareness. Videos of rocket launches from the Gaza Strip, a Hamas smuggler flying into Israel in a motorized hang glider, and unknown gunmen firing at an Israeli neighborhood from a pickup vehicle were all shown in the thread.
Tech Mogul Draws Criticism
Elon Musk was criticized for advising Twitter users to follow an account suspected of antisemitism and disseminating disinformation about the Israel attack.
According to The Telegraph, the X's owner and executive chairman first recommended users follow two accounts called "War Monitor" and "OSINTdefender," both of which had blue ticks for Twitter's premium service. The accounts with these blue checkmarks are those that have paid for premium services to promote their tweets in users' timelines.
Musk eventually removed his tweet endorsing these accounts, which raises issues and worries about the role that social media plays in influencing public discourse in crises.
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