From the Liveblog of
Monday, November 27, 2023
In joint live chat on X, Elon Musk agrees with Netanyahu that Hamas must be destroyed
Jeremy Sharon is The Times of Israel’s legal affairs and settlements reporter
Elon Musk says during a live chat on X (formerly Twitter) with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that there is “no choice” other than to destroy the Hamas terror group in order to bring about a better future for Gaza, and agrees with Netanyahu that the terror organization has genocidal intentions toward the Jewish people.
US billionaire Musk, the owner of X and head of SpaceX, says though that he would like to help rebuild Gaza after the current war, and asserts that rehabilitating the territory is an important step to preventing future war.
“If you want security, peace and a better life for Gazans, then you need to destroy Hamas. You first have to get rid of the poisonous regime as was done in Germany and Japan,” says Netanyahu, to which Musk responds: “There’s no choice.”
Musk also remarks that civilian casualties are “unavoidable” and that Israel is trying to avoid them in its war against Hamas.
“You need to pair firmness and taking out the terrorists and those intent on murder, and at the same time help those that remain, which is what happened in Germany and Japan,” he adds.
“Usually the victor punishes the loser,” he continues, and points to the rehabilitation of Germany and Japan by the allies after World War II as examples of how reconstruction efforts after a major war and a clear-cut victory helped secure peace for a long period of time.
