Elon Musk pledges donation to Israel after facing criticism from liberals

Democrats and liberal activist group Media Matters have attacked X owner Elon Musk, alleging he is profiting from a platform for free speech, including for antisemites, but Musk is undercutting their narrative.

“X Corp will be donating all revenue from advertising & subscriptions associated with the war in Gaza to hospitals in Israel and the Red Cross/Crescent in Gaza,” Musk wrote Wednesday on X.

His pledged support for the state of Israel comes after Democrats in Congress wrote him Tuesday alleging X is profiting from premium accounts that glorify violence against Israelis.

In the letter to Musk and X chief executive Linda Yaccarino, the lawmakers noted reports from nonprofit organizations that showed people with X Premium accounts “glorifying barbaric acts of violence against Israelis” on the platform.

The letter is the latest fight between Musk, who bought Twitter and renamed it X, and those who have advocated for better content moderation. X sued the watchdog group Media Matters on Monday, alleging it defamed the platform after it published a report that said ads for major brands had appeared next to posts touting Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party.

“These reports demonstrated that X is profiting from the spread of this gruesome and harmful propaganda through account subscription fees and ad revenue,” the lawmakers wrote, adding that much of the offensive content remained live despite being flagged by researchers.

X did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

The lawmakers said X profited from the posts from subscription fees and ads displayed in replies to both Premium and regular posts.

“X has financially benefited from the spread of demonstrably false and misleading content as well,” the lawmakers wrote.

X’s U.S. ad revenue has declined at least 55% year-over-year each month since Musk’s takeover. Musk bought the platform for $44 billion in October 2022, but advertisers have since left because of some of Musk’s controversial posts and layoffs of employees who worked to moderate content.

The lawmakers also noted that the United States designated Hamas a terrorist organization in 1997, meaning it is unlawful to knowingly provide material support or resources to the group.

“There is no ambiguity about whether violent videos generated by the group qualify under these policies. These are videos that carry official Hamas branding and iconography,” the lawmakers wrote.

Information from Reuters was used to compile this report.