Tech billionaire Elon Musk praised Israel’s approach to security in an interview released on Tuesday, citing repeated attempts to destroy the Jewish state as he argued that countries must screen immigrants for violent extremists.
Speaking with his biographer Walter Isaacson, a Jewish-American journalist and author, on “The Builders,” Musk said Israelis understood the danger of admitting people intent on attacking them, describing the country’s approach as “quite pragmatic.”
Israel’s neighbors “have tried to annihilate Israel several times, not once, multiple times,” Musk said, adding that repeated attacks had reinforced the country’s awareness of security threats.
The comments came after Isaacson asked whether Musk’s views on immigration distinguished between cultures, including Muslim culture. Musk acknowledged that many Muslims were “quite reasonable,” while arguing that screening was necessary to prevent the entry of jihadists.
“Unless you’re filtering for jihadis, you’re going to get jihadis and they’re going to do jihad and kill people,” Musk said. “Now, in Israel, they understand this quite well.”
Isaacson challenged Musk on whether sweeping generalizations conflicted with the American principle of treating people as individuals rather than as members of a group. Musk responded that recognizing differences in beliefs—including those of religious extremists—was necessary to identify threats.
