Ehud Barak: I Visited Epstein’s Island But Never Met Any Girls

Sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein has resonated in Israel because of his mysterious—but well-known—ties to former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who announced a new bid for office last week, and whose name appeared in Epstein’s infamous black book of prominent guests.

The news could not have come at a better time for current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing a tough reelection campaign after failing to form a government following elections in April, throwing the country into an unprecedented second consecutive electoral campaign.

Netanyahu, who has been in office for 10 years, is expected to be indicted on three counts of corruption after a hearing scheduled for October 7, less than three weeks after the September 17 vote. And he has faced an uphill struggle making accusations against his rivals stick. In June, Netanyahu’s attempts to taint hardline former defense minister Avigdor Lieberman as a “left-winger” provoked laughter from reporters.

So he wasted no time after Epstein’s arrest tweeting a published article about Barak’s alleged financial ties to Epstein, adding ominously, “and the media is silent.”

Two days later, Netanyahu tweeted a video juxtaposing Epstein’s mug shot with a 2016 photograph of Barak exiting Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse. This time, the caption was “What else did the sex offender give Ehud Barak?

The answer, if you ask Barak, who served as prime minister from 1999 to 2001, is an unalloyed “nothing.”

In an exclusive interview, Barak told The Daily Beast his dealings with Epstein were entirely on the level.

“The man who introduced me to Epstein about 17 years ago was Shimon Peres,” Barak said, uncertain if the event took place in New York or Washington, but recalling it was at an event where “there were many famous and important people, including, if I recall, both Clintons and hundreds of others.”

Since then, Barak says, he has met Epstein “more than 10 times and much less than a hundred times, but I can’t tell you exactly how many. I don’t keep count. Over the years, I’ve seen him on occasion.”

“I never attended a party with him,” Barak told The Daily Beast. “I never met Epstein in the company of women or young girls.”

Barak recalls having visited Epstein at two of his Manhattan residences and said he did visit Epstein’s private Caribbean island “once, for several hours—and years after the publications about sex parties or orgies there.” But, Barak says, “I've never been there at a party.”