You've probably seen the photos. Elon Musk, looking a bit out of place in a heavy protective vest, walking through the rain-soaked ruins of Kibbutz Kfar Aza alongside Benjamin Netanyahu. It was late November 2023, a time when the digital and physical worlds seemed to be colliding in the most chaotic way possible. For many, the sight of the world’s richest man touring a massacre site wasn't just a diplomatic visit—it was a high-stakes pivot for a billionaire who had spent the previous weeks in a PR tailspin.
Honestly, the relationship between Elon Musk and Israel is a lot weirder and more strategic than most people realize. It’s not just about politics or optics. It’s about satellites, billionaire egos, and the messy reality of running a global "town square" while your advertisers are running for the exits.
Why Musk Went to Israel in the First Place
Let's be real: the timing of Musk’s trip wasn't a coincidence. Just days before he touched down at Ben Gurion Airport, he had set the internet on fire by replying "the actual truth" to an antisemitic post on X (formerly Twitter). The backlash was swift. The White House called his comments "abhorrent," and major brands like Disney, Apple, and IBM hit the pause button on their ad spending. Estimates suggested X could lose up to $75 million in revenue.
So, he flew to Israel.
During the visit, he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog. He sat through a 44-minute screening of the horrific footage from the October 7 attacks. In an X Spaces talk afterward, Musk sounded genuinely shaken, describing the scenes as "jarring" and agreeing with Netanyahu that Hamas must be "eliminated."
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But there was a business side to this, too.
The Starlink Factor
While everyone was focused on the handshakes, a major deal was brewing in the background regarding Starlink. Earlier in the conflict, Musk had suggested he might provide Starlink internet to aid organizations in Gaza. This absolutely infuriated the Israeli government. Shlomo Karhi, Israel's Communications Minister, threatened to cut all ties with Starlink, arguing that Hamas would inevitably use the tech for "terrorist activities."
By the time Musk left Israel, the tone had shifted. They reached an agreement "in principle." Basically, Starlink could only operate in Israel—and specifically in Gaza—with the express approval of the Israeli Ministry of Communications. It was a massive win for Israeli security and a quiet way for Musk to show he was "on the team."
What Most People Get Wrong About the Ad Boycott
There is this common narrative that the Israel trip "fixed" things for Musk. It didn't.
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Shortly after returning, Musk appeared at the New York Times DealBook Summit. If people expected a humble apology tour, they got the opposite. He famously told fleeing advertisers—specifically calling out Disney’s Bob Iger—to "go f*** yourself." He accused them of trying to "blackmail" him with money.
So, while the visit to Israel helped stabilize his relationship with the Israeli state, it did almost nothing to stop the bleeding at X Corp. The platform was still drowning in accusations of poor content moderation. According to some reports, antisemitic content on X surged by nearly 900% in the weeks following the start of the war. Musk’s personal stance was clear: he's a free-speech absolutist, even if it means the platform burns.
The Long-Term Tech Partnership
If you look past the headlines, the tie between Elon Musk and Israel is actually built on a foundation of technology and shared interests.
- AI and Tesla: Long before the 2023 war, Netanyahu visited Musk at the Tesla factory in Fremont, California. They spent hours talking about Artificial Intelligence. Israel is a global hub for AI and cybersecurity, and Musk knows he needs that talent pool.
- Starlink in 2024: Fast forward to February 2024, and the "in principle" deal became a reality. Israel approved Starlink for use in a field hospital in Gaza operated by the UAE. By August 2025, Starlink officially launched its services for the general public in Israel, providing high-speed internet to remote areas and emergency backup for government bodies.
- Propaganda vs. Reality: During his visit, Musk talked a lot about the "propaganda" he believed led to the conflict. He argued that Gaza needed to be "de-radicalized," comparing the situation to the reconstruction of Germany and Japan after WWII.
The Nuance Nobody Talks About
It is easy to paint Musk as either a villain or a hero in this story. The truth is more boring and more complicated. He is a guy who runs a massive communications network that he doesn't fully know how to control.
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Israel, on the other hand, recognizes that Musk is a sovereign-level actor. He has his own satellites. He has his own media platform. You can't just ignore him. When President Isaac Herzog met Musk, he didn't just talk about tech; he explicitly told him that X had a "huge reservoir of hatred" that Musk had a responsibility to fix.
Musk’s response? "Actions speak louder than words."
How to Follow This Story Moving Forward
The saga of Elon Musk and Israel is far from over. If you want to stay informed on how this impacts global tech and policy, here are the three things you should actually keep an eye on:
- Starlink Deployments: Watch where those terminals go. If Starlink starts appearing in more conflict zones with government "oversight," it sets a new precedent for how private tech companies operate during wartime.
- The EU vs. X: The European Union has been investigating X for months over its handling of war-related disinformation. If the EU levies massive fines, it could force Musk to change his "free speech" policies in a way that his Israel trip never did.
- Ad Revenue Recovery: Keep an eye on the big brands. If they eventually crawl back to X, it means Musk's "brute force" style of diplomacy worked. If they don't, X might be looking at a total business model pivot toward subscriptions.
The reality is that Musk’s visit to Israel was a masterclass in crisis management, but the "stain" of the antisemitism controversy hasn't fully washed away. It’s a delicate balance of high-tech utility and high-stakes reputation.
To keep tabs on the latest updates, you can follow the official Israeli Ministry of Communications press releases or track Starlink's global "Availability Map" to see where the service is expanding next. Understanding the technical side—how these satellites actually connect—is often more revealing than reading the latest celebrity tweet.