Netanyahu Defends Elon Musk Over Salute: ‘Falsely Smeared’

The Israeli Prime Minister thanks the billionaire for being a “great friend of Israel” after he was accused of giving a Nazi salute

Elon Musk salutes as he speaks during the inaugural parade inside Capitol One Arena, in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
Elon Musk salutes as he speaks during the inaugural parade inside Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C. (Credit: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Elon Musk on Thursday, saying the Tesla CEO is being “falsely smeared” by critics who say he gave a Nazi salute during President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

“Elon Musk is being falsely smeared,” Netanyahu posted on X, the platform Musk owns. “Elon is a great friend of Israel. He visited Israel after the Oct. 7 massacre in which Hamas terrorists committed the worst atrocity against the Jewish people since the Holocaust.”

He continued: “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.

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