After X/Twitter advertisers have been fleeing the platform in the last week and a half, following both a report on antisemitic hate speech as well as a perceived endorsement of a post by Musk that appeared to many to be antisemitic, Musk decided to pay a visit Monday to Israel and to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Actions speak louder than words," Musk said in his latest cryptic post on X today, as reports were emerging of his surprise trip to Israel.

The New York Times reports that Musk toured Kfar Aza, an Israeli kibbutz that was the site of mass murder by Hamas on October 7, a tour that Musk later called "jarring" in a live audio broadcast with Netanyahu on X.

Musk previously hosted Netanyahu in San Francisco in September, when the pair also posted a live conversation on X. In that conversation, Musk also sought to counter outcries about the presence of antisemitic content on the platform. And he and the Israeli prime minister also shared a light-hearted exchanged about being wrongfully "maligned."

"It’s not an easy thing to be maligned — I know you’ve never seen that, right?” Mr. Netanyahu said.

“Me, maligned?” Musk responded. “Never.”

The latest trouble for Musk came about after two incidents two weeks ago. One was the release of a report by Media Matters, which Musk has sought vehemently to discredit, showing antisemitic and hateful content on X appearing next to major advertisers' ads. Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino have argued that no real users would ever see such content, because it is being algorithmically quashed, but advertisers were spooked nonetheless.

X filed suit against Media Matters last Monday over the report, calling it defamation.

The second incident involved a tweet that Musk himself endorsed which referred to progressive Jews and immigrant populations in what many interpreted as a reference to the Great Replacement Theory espoused by many white nationalists. Musk was again faced with accusations of antisemitism, to which he said "Nothing could be further from the truth."

The exodus of advertisers, or rather the list of those who said they were pausing ads on X, included IBM, Warner Bros. Discovery, Sony, Apple, Lionsgate, and Paramount Global. They join a considerable number of other advertisers who had also stopped paying for ads on the platform in the last year. While hard numbers haven't been publicized, over the summer, Musk said that ad revenue was down by 50%.

Netanyahu did not bring up Musk's controversial tweet in their live conversation today, and neither did Musk.

Musk has been facing pressure to open up Starlink internet service in war-torn Gaza, something that Netanyahu's government has said he would not do without their permission.

During the audio exchange, Musk agreed with Netanyahu's explanation of the rationale for the war, and said it was important for Israel to "get rid of the ones who are hellbent on murdering Jewish people." But, Musk said that it was also important to minimize the loss of civilian lives in Gaza.

Previously: Elon Musk Puts X/Twitter In Jeopardy Again With One Antisemitic Tweet

Photo via Israel's Government Press Office