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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein did not work for the Israeli state, dismissing an FBI memo, extensive email correspondence, and records of over 30 visits between Epstein and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak as proof the late financier was a Mossad agent.
Netanyahu's statement came after the U.S. Department of Justice released over 3 million pages of documents, 180,000 images, and 2,000 videos under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed by President Donald Trump in November 2025. The massive disclosure, the largest to date, includes an October 2020 FBI memo detailing claims from a confidential informant who "became convinced" Epstein was a "co-opted Mossad agent."
"Jeffrey Epstein's unusual close relationship with Ehud Barak doesn't suggest Epstein worked for Israel. It proves the opposite," Netanyahu wrote in English on X, using the revelations to attack his longtime political rival.
The Israeli leader accused Barak of working with "the anti-Zionist radical left in failed attempts to overthrow the elected Israeli government," claiming the former prime minister has spent years "obsessively" trying to undermine Israeli democracy through mass protests and "false media narratives."
The newly released October 2020 FBI memo describes claims from a confidential human source who alleged Epstein was "trained as a spy" under Barak, maintained close ties to him, and was debriefed by Israel's intelligence service through his attorney Alan Dershowitz, a prominent pro-Israel advocate. The informant cited regional political rivalries, including Barak's view of Netanyahu as a "criminal," as context for Epstein's alleged intelligence role.
The files also include emails showing Epstein joking about alleged Mossad connections. In a 2018 message arranging a meeting between Barak and a Qatari official, Epstein wrote: "you should make clear that i dont work for mossad. :)"
Other correspondence reveals Epstein's involvement in Israeli-linked security deals with countries including Mongolia and Ivory Coast, as well as backchannel diplomacy efforts during the Syrian civil war. The documents confirm his financial ties to pro-Israel organizations, including donations to Orthodox yeshivas and the Wexner Foundation's pro-Israel philanthropy programs.
One redacted email titled "Photo from Visit with Bibi Netanyahu" was sent to Epstein associate Jes Staley, though the image itself was blacked out by the DOJ.
Barak, who served as Israel's prime minister from 1999 to 2001 and defense minister from 2007 to 2013, had one of the most documented relationships with Epstein among Israeli officials. Records show Barak visited Epstein's New York residences over 30 times between 2013 and 2017, sometimes accompanied by his wife or security detail, and flew on Epstein's private jet twice.
An audio recording released in the latest files appeared to capture Barak asking Epstein "how do we make money" from government contracts. In the conversation, Barak referenced former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, saying he had heard "from you" that Blair was making approximately $11 million per year from the Kazakhstan government for advisory work. A spokesperson for Blair called the figures "rubbish" and said money for Kazakhstan work was paid to the Tony Blair Institute, not to Blair personally.
Epstein invested in Barak's startup Reporty, later renamed Carbyne, a surveillance technology firm staffed by alumni of Unit 8200, Israel's signals intelligence unit. The financier also claimed credit for Barak's 2019 return to politics to challenge Netanyahu, telling former Trump adviser Steve Bannon he was "dealing with Ehud in Israel" and editing Barak's op-eds. Israeli military intelligence officer Yoni Koren, a former aide to Barak, stayed at Epstein's apartment for weeks, according to the documents.
Barak has consistently denied wrongdoing, stating he never witnessed improper activities and that his relationship with Epstein was business-focused. There is no evidence of illegal conduct by Barak, a former Israel Defense Forces chief who once served as Netanyahu's commanding officer in the elite Matkal unit.
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Despite the FBI memo, the extensive documentation of Barak-Epstein interactions, and Epstein's role in Israeli-linked deals, Netanyahu argued that the very closeness of Barak's relationship with Epstein proves the financier was not an intelligence operative. The prime minister's logic suggests that a genuine Mossad agent would not have maintained such visible ties to a high-profile Israeli political figure.
Netanyahu claimed Barak's "personal fixation" on his election defeat more than two decades ago led him to "engage in activities publicly and behind the scenes to undermine the government of Israel, including fueling mass protest movements, fomenting unrest and feeding false media narratives."
Barak has emerged in recent years as a prominent critic of Netanyahu, frequently warning that the current government threatens Israel's democratic institutions and rule of law. He was an outspoken supporter of protests against Netanyahu's controversial efforts to weaken the judiciary.
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