Emails show Israel managed security at Epstein-owned building where ex-PM Barak stayed
US documents suggest Israeli officials coordinated surveillance and access at a Manhattan residence owned by Jeffrey Epstein where former Israeli PM Ehud Barak stayed, raising fresh scrutiny over the financier’s network and political connections.
Newly released emails from the US Department of Justice show that Israeli government security personnel helped oversee access and install protective equipment at a Manhattan apartment building owned by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, where former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak reportedly stayed for extended periods.
The correspondence indicates that the arrangements began in early 2016 at a residence on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and remained in place for at least two years. Officials connected to Israel’s mission to the United Nations coordinated with Epstein’s staff on building access, visitor clearance and security installations.
Emails show Barak’s wife, Nili Priell, discussed installing alarms and remote surveillance systems, including window sensors and a mechanism allowing security personnel to disable the system to admit approved visitors temporarily. The messages referenced a diplomat at Israel’s New York mission responsible for Barak’s protection detail.
‘Holes in the walls’
Further exchanges reveal Epstein’s staff providing Israeli security officials with lists of employees who might need entry to the apartment and offering identification documents for background checks. One aide noted Epstein had no objection to structural work required for installing equipment, writing that “holes in the walls” were acceptable.
The emails suggest sustained operational coordination between Epstein’s organisation and Israeli security personnel regarding the property, though they do not indicate the arrangements extended beyond the apartment itself.
After Epstein’s death in 2019, Barak acknowledged meeting him multiple times but denied any financial or political backing.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later dismissed suggestions that Epstein acted on Israel’s behalf, saying the relationship with Barak did not imply any official role.
The newly surfaced emails are likely to intensify scrutiny of Epstein’s international contacts and the political figures within his orbit, years after his death closed the criminal case but left many questions unanswered.