Israel’s Netanyahu attacks former premier Ehud Barak, says ‘Epstein did not work for Israel’

JERUSALEM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used the renewed focus on the Epstein files to attack his predecessor Ehud Barak, saying that Jeffrey Epstein “did not work for Israel.”

The Jerusalem Post daily reported that Barak’s ties to Epstein received extensive media attention after the two met several times in 2015 and 2016, years after Epstein’s first criminal conviction. Photos circulated at the time showed Barak entering Epstein’s Manhattan residence in New York.

In his first public comment on the Epstein documents, Netanyahu wrote on US social media company X that Epstein’s “unusual close relationship with Ehud Barak doesn't suggest Epstein worked for Israel. It proves the opposite.”

“Stuck on his election loss from over two decades ago, Barak has for years obsessively attempted to undermine Israeli democracy by working with the anti-Zionist radical left in failed attempts to overthrow the elected Israeli government,” he added, referring to his own administration.

Netanyahu accused Barak of engaging “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 been a vocal critic of Netanyahu for years and has repeatedly called for the government’s removal.

In mid-2025, Barak joined about 3,000 Israeli medical and health professionals in signing petitions urging the government to secure the return of captives held by Palestinian factions in Gaza, even if it required halting the war that began on Oct. 8, 2023, and lasted two years.

On Friday, US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the release of more than 3 million additional files to the public as part of the Epstein investigations.

Epstein, an American financier accused of running a large-scale sex trafficking operation involving underage girls, some as young as 14, was found dead in a New York jail in 2019 while in custody.

The case files include the names of numerous high-profile figures, among them the former British prince Andrew, former US President Bill Clinton, current US President Donald Trump, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, singer Michael Jackson, and former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.

* Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul