Netanyahu says 'Epstein did not work for Israel', but new files citing FBI docs suggest otherwise

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has used renewed scrutiny of the Epstein files to attack his predecessor Ehud Barak, claiming that disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein "did not work for Israel."

Netanyahu’s comments follow the recent release of the Epstein files, which include a 2020 FBI document saying that the billionaire paedophile was "trained as a spy" under Barak.

Netanyahu made his first public comments on the newly released documents, responding on X after Epstein's past connections resurfaced in international media coverage.

"The unusual close relationship between Epstein and Ehud Barak doesn't suggest Epstein worked for Israel. It proves the opposite," Netanyahu wrote.

The Jerusalem Post reported that former PM Barak's ties to Epstein have drawn fresh attention after their meetings in 2015 and 2016, years after Epstein's first criminal conviction.

Photographs circulated at the time showed Barak entering Epstein's Manhattan residence in New York.

Netanyahu accused Barak of long-standing efforts to undermine his government, saying the former prime minister had remained "stuck on his election loss from over two decades ago."

He further accused Barak of engaging "in activities publicly and behind the scenes to undermine the government of Israel, including fuelling mass protest movements, fomenting unrest and feeding false media narratives."

Epstein files

Barak has been a prominent critic of Netanyahu and has repeatedly called for his government's removal.

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

Epstein, an American financier accused of running a large-scale sex trafficking operation involving minors, was found dead in a New York jail in 2019 while in custody.

The files mention numerous high-profile figures, including Barak, though inclusion in the documents does not imply wrongdoing.

A 2020 FBI document included in the Epstein files claims that the billionaire paedophile was "trained as a spy" under Barak. 

Persistent reports have claimed that Epstein was a Mossad asset for blackmail operations, often tied to his Jewish background and Israeli connections.

Such claims have been amplified by figures like ex-Israeli intelligence officer, Ari Ben-Menashe, who alleged Epstein and his girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell worked for Israeli intelligence since the 1980s.

Maxwell's father, Robert Maxwell, was called a Mossad asset by Epstein.

In March 2018, Epstein wrote to an unknown recipient, quoting extensively from a book that alleged Maxwell was murdered by Israeli spies for threatening to reveal the work he had done for them.

Epstein alleged Maxwell threatened to reveal Mossad operations unless paid £400 million to rescue his failing business.

Maxwell's death in November 1991 remains shrouded in mystery, following a fall from his boat near the Canary Islands.

ICC fugitive

Netanyahu is himself facing an ongoing criminal trial on corruption charges.

These charges stem from Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000, where he was indicted in late 2019 for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.

In November 2025, Netanyahu formally requested a pardon from President Isaac Herzog to end the proceedings preemptively before any conviction. This request remains unresolved. US President Donald Trump publicly called for the cases to be dropped.

Netanyahu is also a fugitive of the International Criminal Court, which has issued an arrest warrant against the Israeli leader for his role in Gaza genocide.