The sudden shift of the Anti-Defamation League’s leader from condemning the world’s wealthiest man for boosting an antisemitic “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory to praising his vow to ban the antisemitic phrases “from the river to the sea” and “decolonization” on the X social-media platform has caused consternation among internal leadership.
On Nov. 17, Jonathan Greenblatt, the ADL’s CEO and national director, called plans to make the use of the anti-Israel terms a suspendable offense “an important and welcome move by Elon Musk. I appreciate this leadership in fighting hate.”
Advisory board members Eli Pariser and Peter Fox talked to Rolling Stone about their concerns with that statement.
Pariser said that “censorship of these phrases will not reduce antisemitism. Especially while Musk himself, one of the most popular users on the platform, continues to engage with and boost it.”
He vowed to resign from the board if Greenblatt did not correct his mistake and change course.