Former Israeli PM Ehud Barak admits poor judgement in Epstein friendship; rejects criminal role

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has responded to allegations regarding his ties with the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein in a televised interview with N12 News, expressing regret over their association while firmly defending the legality of his conduct.

Barak said he “regrets the moment I met him in 2003” and conceded that he “should have exercised better judgement and conducted a more thorough investigation” into Epstein’s background. While acknowledging this lapse in judgement, he stressed that regret did not amount to wrongdoing. Over the 15 years he knew Epstein, Barak insisted he “never saw any unreasonable occurrence, or any unreasonable behaviour”, maintaining that nothing in his presence suggested criminal activity. He said he severed ties immediately in 2019 once the “true extent and depth” of Epstein’s crimes became clear.

Addressing criticism that he continued to associate with Epstein after the financier’s 2008 conviction for sex offences, Barak argued that he, like many in American political and business circles, believed Epstein had “paid his debt to society” and was attempting to return to public life. In retrospect, he said, that assumption had proved mistaken, but at the time it was widely shared among members of the elite who interacted with Epstein.

Barak also confronted revelations about his stays at Epstein’s properties. He acknowledged that between 2015 and 2019, he stayed at Epstein’s New York apartment, describing the arrangement as one of “convenience” during a period when he was a private citizen engaged in business and research activities in the United States. “A citizen can stay in a house given to him by someone with whom he has social or business ties,” he said, noting that the building contained more than 100 apartments and suggesting that the scale of the property undercut insinuations of secrecy or impropriety.

On the question of visits to Epstein’s private island, Little Saint James, Barak confirmed a single daytime visit lasting around three hours. He emphasised that he was accompanied by his wife and security personnel and said he saw nothing illicit. According to his account, the only people present were Epstein himself and maintenance workers. He rejected suggestions that the visit implied knowledge of or involvement in criminal conduct.

Barak also addressed a widely circulated 2016 photograph showing him entering Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse with his face partially covered by a neck warmer. Critics had suggested the image conveyed an attempt at concealment. Barak dismissed that interpretation, explaining that he was protecting himself from the cold and that he was photographed leaving the same building later that day with his face uncovered.

A substantial part of the interview focused on a newly released audio recording in which Barak discussed what he described as Israel’s “demographic challenge” in conversation with Epstein. In the recording, he suggested that Israel could “easily absorb another million” Russian-speaking immigrants to offset higher Arab birth rates. The comments provoked particular outrage for a remark in which he predicted that such immigration would bring “young, beautiful girls… tall and slim”.

Barak apologised for that phrasing, calling it an “unfortunate choice of words” that carried “associations of inappropriate stereotypes”. He acknowledged that the remark was insensitive and said he understood why it had drawn criticism. At the same time, he argued that private conversations sometimes adopt a looser tone and suggested that critics should reflect on their own informal exchanges before passing judgement.

He also rejected accusations of racism stemming from his reference to “quality” immigrants. Barak said he was drawing a distinction between the emergency “rescue operations” of Israel’s founding years, when survival took precedence over selection, and the immigration policies of a modern developed state, which he argued could apply criteria to meet economic and social needs. He insisted there was “no racism there” toward Mizrahi or Sephardi Jewish communities and framed his comments as part of a serious policy discussion he had held in the past with international figures.

Turning to the broader controversy, Barak characterised the media coverage and document releases as a “poison machine” designed to distort his words and damage his reputation. He sought to shift attention to his long-time political rival, Benjamin Netanyahu, questioning why Netanyahu’s relationship with other wealthy benefactors had not prompted comparable scrutiny. Both men, however, dismissed speculation contained in various files suggesting Epstein had links to Israeli intelligence, including claims that he might have worked for Mossad. Netanyahu stated that Barak’s ties to Epstein were personal rather than state-related, and correspondence cited in the documents reportedly included a message in which Epstein joked to Barak that he should clarify he did not work for Israeli intelligence.

Despite acknowledging that further document releases could shed additional light on his long association with Epstein, Barak struck a defiant tone. He maintained that any future revelations would contain “no crime, no criminal act, nothing improper”. “I am responsible for all my actions,” he said, adding pointedly that not everyone could make such a claim.