NEW YORK: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called a popular video-sharing app TikTok the “most important weapon” in securing support for Israel on the right wing.
“Weapons change over time… the most important ones are the social media,” and “the most important purchase that is going on right now is TikTok… I hope it goes through because it can be consequential,” he said while briefing American influencers on TikTok.
Netanyahu mentioned X and Elon Musk as well, saying Musk is” not an enemy, he’s a friend. We should talk to him.”
He claimed that if influence could be secured over TikTok and X, Israel would “get a lot.”
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order approving a deal that will transfer TikTok’s US operations to an American-led consortium, declaring it compliant with national security requirements set by US law.
According to Trump, the consortium will include Oracle, tech entrepreneur Michael Dell, media mogul Rupert Murdoch, and other prominent investors.
Concerns have emerged over Oracle’s involvement, particularly due to the company’s co-founder Larry Ellison’s longstanding public support for Israel. Critics worry that Oracle’s control over TikTok could potentially be leveraged to serve Israeli interests.
These developments come as Israel faces growing global condemnation over its ongoing war in Gaza. Since October 2023, over 66,000 Palestinians—most of them women and children—have been killed in what many international observers have called a genocidal campaign.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently addressed the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, speaking to a largely empty chamber after several delegations staged a walkout in protest of Israel’s actions in Gaza, as the war nears its third year.
