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

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

In his first public comment on the Epstein documents, Netanyahu wrote on the US social media platform X that “Epstein’s unusual and close relationship with Ehud Barak does not suggest that Epstein worked for Israel, it proves the opposite.”

“Stuck after his election loss from more than two decades ago, Barak has for years obsessively sought to undermine Israeli democracy by collaborating with the radical anti-Zionist left in failed efforts to overthrow the elected Israeli government,” Netanyahu said, referring to his administration.

Netanyahu accused Barak of engaging “in public and behind-the-scenes activities to undermine the government of Israel, including inciting mass protest movements, causing riots and fodder for false media narratives.”

Barak has for years been a vocal critic of Netanyahu and has repeatedly called for the government to step down.

In mid-2025, Barak joined about 3,000 Israeli medical and health professionals in signing petitions calling on the government to ensure the return of hostages held by Palestinian factions in Gaza, even if it required the ban. of the war that began in October 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 investigation.

Epstein, a US financier accused of running a vast sex-trafficking operation involving underage girls, some as young as 14, was found dead in a New York prison in 2019 while he was in custody.

Case files include the names of many well-known figures, including 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 Governor Bill Richardson.

Source: prizrenpost