Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a message of support Thursday for Elon Musk after the world’s richest man was accused of making a Nazi salute.

Musk “is being falsely smeared,” Netanyahu wrote on X, the social media platform owned by Musk. “Elon is a great friend of Israel. He visited Israel after the October 7 massacre… [and] 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.”

Musk later thanked Netanyahu.

  • MothmanDelorian@lemmy.world
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    12 hours ago

    And yet when 10% of the population of Israel were out in the streets demanding his removal in 2023 the government did nothing to the protestors. That’s decidedly not fascistic. Israel might be horrible but they aren’t currently fascistic.

    • Grimy@lemmy.world
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      11 hours ago

      They shot and killed protesters in 2024. In any case, that isn’t the deciding factor when considering if something is fascistic or not.

        • Grimy@lemmy.world
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          9 hours ago

          You can have elections and still be authoritan, if you also have a solid spoonful of political repression. (HINT: shooting protesters and closing news providers is repression)

          I mean, it’s literally an apartheid state. In what world do you live in?

          • MothmanDelorian@lemmy.world
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            7 hours ago

            True but Israel’s elections are free and fair elections. No one is currently claiming otherwise that has evidence to support that claim.

            You can hate Israel all you want but they are not an authoritarian state.

            • Grimy@lemmy.world
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              3 hours ago

              They cannot be free and fair. The very fact that it’s an apartheid state means segments of the population are not represented fairly.

              Technically, palestinians can vote but they must be “citizens of israel” and getting the title is very hard, mainly because Israel makes it difficult. Gaza and most of the west bank cannot vote in national elections.

              Any politician that isn’t Jewish faces massive discrimination and there are laws to make sure they can’t actually lead or gain power.

              • MothmanDelorian@lemmy.world
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                3 hours ago

                Take a second to learn what “free and fair elections” means because you are clearly confused as to what it means.

                Most nations do not let non-citizens vote so that’s not surprising.

                Regardless the only people calling Israel fascist are those people who have zero clue about fascism or the Israeli government.

                • Grimy@lemmy.world
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                  3 hours ago

                  There is a difference between non-citizens and a population you have kept in prison over decades.

                  During the apartheid in South Africa, the black population was systematically denied citizenship. Would you consider those fair elections?

                  But I guess any rhetoric is okay as long as it’s in defense of the great genocidal warmongering state of Israel. I’m guessing you have a connection with the nation, but rabidly defending pure evil is always a bad look, even if you were raised to do so.

        • catloaf@lemm.ee
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          9 hours ago

          You can have elections and still be fascist. Hitler was elected too.

          • Lauchs@lemmy.world
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            2 hours ago

            Jesus lord, this is a really really inaccurate take. There was only one election, it was the one in which Hitler took power. There were no more after.

            One of the hallmarks of fascism is that it is anti-Democratic.

    • Grimy@lemmy.world
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      11 hours ago

      They shot and killed protesters in 2024 you wacko, not to mention that is not the deciding factor.