‘National embarrassment’: Elon Musk kibbutz tour prompts anger at Netanyahu

Anger is mounting in Israel against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he and X owner Elon Musk toured a kibbutz devastated by Hamas on Monday.

While mass protests against proposed judicial changes were previously seen as the biggest challenge to Mr Netanyahu’s leadership, criticism of his response to the October 7 attack on southern Israel has overshadowed them.

Since the attack, he continues to face criticism over his failure to meet displaced families and his handling of the hostage crisis, in which 240 people were taken captive by Hamas in Gaza. Following a series of releases, about 180 now remain in captivity.

Mr Netanyahu toured Kfar Aza on Monday, walking with Mr Musk through the wreckage of torched buildings. In one photo, the men stand next to an abandoned cot surrounded by members of the army.

“Netanyahu is a national embarrassment,” wrote one X user.

“This is what our PM is doing whilst Israelis are praying for their loved ones to be released from captivity in Gaza. Chatting to Elon Musk, the man who profits from a platform full of anti-Semitism and fake news about Jews and Israel.”

In footage released by Mr Netanyahu’s office, Mr Musk can be seen filming the facade of a destroyed home, before walking through the bullet-riddled house.

Much of the criticism surrounding the visit centred on rising hate speech on X, with Jewish users noting little has been done to combat rising anti-Semitism on the platform.

“Hard to stomach welcoming someone who just days ago endorsed a virulently anti-Semitic trope, has dabbled for years in anti-Semitism and has turned this platform into a cesspool of hate,” wrote Amy Spiro, a journalist with The Times of Israel.

“Blatant anti-Semite & publisher of anti-Semitism Elon Musk should be persona non grata in Israel. Instead, Netanyahu – plumbing new depths of amoral sycophancy – gifts him a PR visit to the kibbutz devastated by Hamas,” wrote Esther Solomon, editor-in-chief of the Haaretz newspaper.

“Profane, venal, bilious, both of them.”

The Prime Minister’s office said the pair visited the home of Ofir Leibstein, killed in the Hamas attack, and were briefed on the events of October 7 by local council chairman Yossi Keren and army representative Liad Diamond.