Jerusalem, Jan 24: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk was being "falsely smeared" in a row over a gesture he made at Donald Trump's inauguration that critics described as a Nazi salute.
"Elon is a great friend of Israel," Netanyahu posted on Thursday on X, the social media site owned by Musk.
The billionaire, whom Trump has tasked with slashing US government spending, "repeatedly and forcefully supported Israel's right to defend itself against genocidal terrorists and regimes who seek to annihilate the one and only Jewish state", Netanyahu added.
He mentioned Musk's visit to Israel in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas. That trip followed a separate row in which the Tesla chief executive was accused of anti-Semitism.
At the time, Musk had endorsed a post accusing Jewish people of "hatred against whites", calling it "the actual truth". He later apologised.
His social media platform has been accused of spreading anti-Semitism and other forms of racism since he took it over in 2022.
During the November 2023 visit, Musk toured a kibbutz attacked by Hamas alongside Netanyahu and met Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who told him he had "a huge role to play" in combating anti-Semitism.
Musk himself has already dismissed the criticism over his inauguration gesture, posting on X: "Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired."
Musk brought his right arm toward his chest and then extended it toward the audience at a rally after President Donald Trump was sworn into office on Monday, drawing scrutiny as the gesture bears similarities to the Nazi or Roman salute used by fascist leaders in Germany and Italy.
Amid continuing controversy, Netanyahu defended Musk, a key ally of Trump.
"Elon is a great friend of Israel. He visited Israel after the October 7 massacre in which Hamas terrorists committed the worst atrocity against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. He has since repeatedly and forcefully supported Israel's right to defend itself against genocidal terrorists and regimes who seek to annihilate the one and only Jewish state," Netanyahu said on Thursday on X.
Musk reposted Netanyahu's response with a "thank you".
Javier Milei, Argentina's libertarian-leaning president and a self-described "anarcho-capitalist," also came to Musk's defence.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, Milei, who also attended Trump's inauguration, said his "dear friend Musk" had been "unfairly vilified by wokeism for an innocent gesture that only reflects his enthusiasm and gratitude to the people".
