Silk Road – An article from Al Jazeera, dated October 9, 2025, details the pivotal role of billionaire Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle, in the potential acquisition of TikTok and his deep, long-standing ties to Israel. The central argument is that Ellison’s involvement is strategically important for Israel’s efforts to control the narrative around its policies, particularly on social media.
Here are the key points focusing on the Ellison-Israel relationship:
1. Strong Pro-Israel Stance and Personal Ties:
Zionist Beliefs: Ellison has openly expressed his Zionist views. In a 2014 interview, he stated, “We were a people without a state for more than 2,000 years, and therefore we must strongly support the brave women and men of the Israeli army.” He used the collective “we,” identifying with the Israeli cause.
Friendship with Netanyahu: He shares a close personal friendship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is a frequent guest at Ellison’s private Hawaiian island.
Appointment of Safra Catz: He proudly appointed Safra Catz, a well-known Israeli-American businesswoman, as the CEO of Oracle.
2. Financial and Military Support:
Substantial Donations: Ellison is a major donor to the Israeli military. In 2017 alone, he donated $16.6 million to the “Friends of the Israeli Army” organization.
Oracle’s Military Partnerships: Oracle has direct partnerships with the Israeli military:
In 2021, Oracle partnered with the Israeli Air Force on a secret data engineering project.
In 2022, it hosted Israeli soldiers and software developers to train them on using Oracle’s cloud services for military purposes.
BDS Blacklist: The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement has listed Oracle as a company complicit with the Israeli military, accusing it of providing AI and cloud technologies that enable human rights violations.
3. The TikTok Deal as an Extension of This Support:
Narrative Control: The article suggests that the primary U.S. motivation for targeting TikTok was the platform’s role in spreading pro-Palestinian content and shaping American public opinion against Israel during the Gaza war. Unlike other platforms like Meta, TikTok did not heavily censor this content.
Ellison as the Preferred Buyer: President Trump explicitly stated he wanted “Larry” to buy TikTok. Placing the platform under the control of Ellison—a staunch Israel supporter—is seen as a strategic move to control the narrative.
Oracle’s Role in a “New TikTok”: As part of the deal, Oracle is expected to retrain the TikTok algorithm and manage a secure “walled garden” for U.S. user data. This would allow for oversight and censorship of content, ensuring it aligns with pro-Israel viewpoints.
Conclusion: The article portrays Larry Ellison not just as a tech billionaire, but as a key figure in a geopolitical struggle over information. His potential control over TikTok, combined with his expanding media empire and his deep financial and ideological ties to Israel, positions him to wield immense influence over public discourse in America, potentially aligning it with Israeli interests.
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