'Appropriate for Israel to kill or incarcerate Hamas members, but...': Elon Musk's Gaza war solution (WATCH)
By Sunita Iyer | First Published Nov 10, 2023, 7:29 AM ISTIn an interview with Lex Fridman, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said, "The question is - For every Hamas member that you (Israel) kill how many did you create? If you create more than you've killed then you've not succeeded."
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East, particularly between Israel and Gaza, has been a longstanding and contentious issue. Even as the war between Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and Hamas terrorists rages on, Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk shared his unique perspective on the Gaza war and offered unconventional suggestions for bringing about a more peaceful resolution. In a recent interview with Lex Fridman, the SpaceX CEO offered an alternative approach that emphasizes empathy, compassion, and the prevention of future conflict.
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Elon Musk began by acknowledging the complexity of the situation in the Middle East, especially concerning Israel and Gaza. He highlighted that there are no easy answers when it comes to the ongoing tensions in the region. However, he also pointed out the primary goals of the Hamas organization, which governs the Gaza Strip. According to Musk, Hamas seeks to provoke an overreaction from Israel, despite not expecting a military victory. Their intention is to commit acts that would garner international attention and rally support for their cause.
"When you look at that part of the world (Middle East) there is no easy answer in the dictionary. It will be like that picture of Middle East and Israel especially. So, there is no easy answer. What my, this is strictly my opinion... is that the goal of Hamas was to provoke an overreaction from Israel. They obviously did not expect to have military victory, but they really wanted to commit the worst atrocities that they could in order to provoke the most aggressive response possible from Israel. And then leverage that aggressive response to rally Muslims worldwide for the cause of Gaza and Palestine, which they have succeeded in doing," Musk said in the podcast.
What makes Musk's perspective unique is his call for an unconventional approach to counter Hamas's tactics. Instead of meeting aggression with aggression, he recommends that Israel engage in acts of kindness and empathy, aimed at thwarting Hamas's goals. Musk emphasized that while it may seem counterintuitive, Israel should take visible, conspicuous actions to provide humanitarian aid, including medical support, food, and water to the people in Gaza. Transparency is crucial here, with the use of constant video monitoring to dispel any doubts or accusations that these efforts are a "trick."
"The counterintuitive thing here I think that should be done, even though it is very difficult, is that I would recommend Israel engage in the most conspicuous acts of kindness possible in everything. That is the actual thing that would thwart the goal of Hamas," Musk said.
"I do think it is appropriate for Israel to find the Hamas members and either kill them or incarcerate them. Something has to be done because they are just going to keep coming otherwise. In addition to that, they need to do whatever they can. For example, establishing a mobile hospital I'd recommend doing that. Just making sure that there is food, water, medical necessities and just be over the top about it and be very transparent so that people can't claim it's a trick - like just put wave cam on the thing 24x7. Deploy conspicuous acts of kindness that are unequivocal. Hamas will then respond saying, 'Oh, it's a trick'. Therefore, you have to counter how it's not a trick," the Tesla CEO added.
The underlying philosophy behind Musk's approach is to combat hatred in the region through compassion and empathy. Rather than perpetuating a cycle of revenge and retaliation, Musk suggests that Israel should focus on minimizing the creation of new terrorists. This means that every act of violence that results in civilian casualties can potentially lead to the radicalization of individuals who harbor deep resentment and anger against Israel. By adopting a more humane approach, Israel can aim to minimize the growth of terrorist organizations by addressing the root causes of hatred.
"I am not sure who said it to an apocryphal saying but an eye for and eye makes everyone blind. Now that neck of the woods they really believe in the whole eye for an eye thing. If you're not just going to outright commit genocide like in the case of entire people, which obviously would not be acceptable to really shouldn't be acceptable to anyone then you're going to leave basically a lot of people alive who subsequently hate Israel," Musk stated.
"The question is - For every Hamas member that you kill how many did you create? If you create more than you've killed then you've not succeeded. That's the real situation there. It's safe to say that if you kill somebody's child in Gaza, you've made at least a few Hamas members, who will die just to kill a Israeli. That's the situation. So, this is one of the most contentious subjects one could possibly discuss, but if the goal is ultimately some sort of long-term peace, one has to look at it from standpoint of over time are there more or fewer terrorists being created," he concluded.
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