Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday, urged Elon Musk to strike a balance between the protection of free speech and combating hatred on X. This statement comes months after controversies surrounding hate speech and antisemitic content on X, formerly known as Twitter.

In an in-person meeting with Elon Musk in California on Monday, the Israeli Prime Minister said that he hoped Musk would find ways within the confines of the First Amendment to clamp down on anti-semitism and other forms of hatred on X, the Guardian reported.

The meeting was streamed live on X from the Tesla factory in Fermont, California.

As reported by the Washington Post, Netanyahu advised Musk, “I hope you can find within the confines of the First Amendment the ability to stop not only anti-semitism, or roll it back as best you can, but any collective hatred of the people that antisemitism represents.”

“I encourage you to find the balance. It’s a tough one,” he added.

To this, Musk responded by emphasising that he's against anything that “promotes hate and conflict” and mentioned that he doesn't encourage anti-semitism. The US billionaire also said that hate won’t be promoted on X.

In addition, he noted that the platform is a place for people to express their views on various topics and his company is ensuring to protect ‘freedom of speech’ but doesn't support hate speech.

On the other hand, earlier this month, Musk threw accusations against the Anti-Defamation League, a non-profit organisation that works to fight anti-semitism. He claimed that the ADL played a central role in causing a significant 60 percent decline in advertising revenue for X, according to reports. However, he failed to produce any substantial evidence to back his claim. Moreover, the billionaire joined a conversation on the social media platform with the hashtag #BantheADL and engaged with users who had white supremacist views. In addition, he asked the users if he should initiate a poll about banning ADL.

Apart from the issue of hate speech, Israeli PM Netanyahu and Musk discussed the challenges posed by the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI). They acknowledged the potential benefits, such as advancements in medicine. However, they also expressed concerns about the risks that include threats to democracy.

“We stand today at a juncture for all humanity, where we have to choose between a blessing and a curse,” said Netanyahu.

(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)