Yes, that is Elon Musk sitting with Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife at the Capitol

Billionaire Elon Musk sat near the wife of Benjamin Netanyahu as he was delivering a speech to Congress about Israel, Gaza, Palestine, Iran

Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks with Sara Netanyahu before her husband Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress at the US Capitol on July 24, 2024, in Washington, DC. Photo by Drew ANGERER / AFP

By Benyamin Cohen July 24, 2024

Elon Musk, one of the world’s richest people and the owner of X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, was seen in the balcony sitting behind Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Benjamin Netanyahu, as the Israeli Prime Minister delivered his fourth address to Congress.

Netanyahu invited Musk to attend the address as his guest, he told Fox News.

What’s the relationship between Elon Musk and Benjamin Netanyahu?

Musk and Netanyahu have a history together. Musk hosted Netanyahu in Sep. 2023 in California for a conversation about antisemitism, artificial intelligence and other topics.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Elon Musk speak at an event in Silicon Valley on Sep. 18, 2023. Photo by Avi Ohayon / GPO

“I know your opposition to antisemitism. You’ve spoken about it, tweeted about it. All I can say is, I hope you will find — within the confines of the First Amendment — the ability to stop not only antisemitism or roll it back as best you can, but the collective hatred of people that antisemitism represents. And I know you’re committed to that. I hope to help you succeed. It’s not an easy task, but I agree with you to find a balance. It’s a tough one,” Netanyahu told Musk.

“I’m against antisemitism,” Musk said in response. “I’m against anti-anything that promotes hate and conflict. And I’m in favor of that which helps both society and take us to a better future for humanity collectively,” Musk said in response.

As Haaretz reported at the time: “Netanyahu praised Musk throughout the meeting, comparing him to inventors Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla, and jokingly exchanging with Musk about the extent of his political powers with a tongue-in-cheek remark about ‘not officially’ being able to run for U.S. president.” Musk is a native of South Africa and therefore unable to run for president of the United States.

Musk has been accused of antisemitism

After Musk bought the social media platform in 2022, he disbanded Twitter’s safety team and removed many of the guardrails, allowing neo-Nazis to return. At the time, the Anti-Defamation League called for advertisers to boycott Twitter. Musk has been accused of fostering antisemitic speech on X, as well as himself endorsing antisemitic content.

At around that time, Musk had threatened to file a $4 billion lawsuit against the ADL for what he dubbed their “aggressive” tactics “trying to kill this platform.” They eventually resolved their dispute, and the ADL itself resumed advertising on the platform.

Elon Musk and his son Techno Mechanicus at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp Jan. 22. Photo by Yoav Dudkevitch

To help combat accusations about antisemitism, Musk visited Auschwitz in January to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day along with his young son, Techno Mechanicus, and Ben Shapiro, the popular conservative Jewish pundit. He was invited by Rabbi Menachem Margolin, head of the European Jewish Association.

“I’m still absorbing, frankly, the magnitude of the tragedy that I witnessed,” he said at a roundtable discussion shortly after his visit. “It will take a few days to sink in.” He added that had social media been around at the time, the Holocaust “would have been impossible to hide.”

Earlier this week, Musk turned on his Starlink internet service in a hospital in the Gaza Strip. It will, among other things, enable medical consultations with experts outside of Gaza.

The service is often used in war zones since it relies on satellites in space and requires no on-the-ground infrastructure to work. It is also being used in Ukraine’s war with Russia.

Benyamin Cohen is news director at the Forward. He is the author of two books, My Jesus Year and The Einstein Effect, and has written for The New York Times and The Washington Post. He lives with his wife in West Virginia with their three dogs, a cat and a flock of chickens known as the Co-Hens.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO