Ehud Barak, Israel’s former prime minister, told Israeli television he regrets having known Jeffrey Epstein and defended himself against any suggestion of criminal conduct after fresh disclosures in the long-running Epstein scandal. Speaking to Channel 12, Barak acknowledged he should perhaps have exercised "more prudent judgment" about his association with Epstein but insisted he never witnessed or took part in any illegal behaviour.
The interview addressed specific allegations emerging from newly released U.S. Department of Justice materials, including a recording purporting to capture remarks attributed to Barak and photographs showing him covering his face as he entered an Epstein-owned building in Manhattan. Barak said the neck covering was merely to ward off the cold and pointed out he had subsequently left the same building with his face uncovered. He also explained that he and his wife stayed intermittently in apartments registered to Epstein between 2015 and 2019 for convenience while visiting New York and denied any impropriety in doing so, noting he was not serving as prime minister at that time.
Barak said he first met Epstein in 2003 and that throughout an ensuing 15-year acquaintance he did not observe anything that suggested Epstein was committing sexual crimes — a claim he says he only learned to be true in 2019. He conceded, however, that more material about his relationship with Epstein may be published in the coming weeks and reiterated his confidence that none of it will reveal "improper" behaviour. Barak also denied taking part in unlawful acts and countered suggestions of discriminatory comments attributed to him in an audio clip disclosed with the documents.
The interview comes after the U.S. Justice Department published a vast tranche of evidence in late January — millions of pages, thousands of videos and images — that has cast a wide net over Epstein’s circle, naming political, financial and academic figures across multiple countries. The release has prompted fresh scrutiny of elites who socialised with Epstein, and in some cases forced resignations and reputational damage even where no criminal charges followed.
For Israel, the episode poses reputational risk more than an immediate legal crisis. Barak is a veteran political figure whose career and security credentials give added weight to the disclosure; any sustained association with Epstein is politically sensitive and can be exploited by rivals. The situation also highlights a broader pattern: disclosures from U.S. legal processes can have outsized diplomatic and political consequences overseas, reshaping domestic debates about ethics, accountability and the social circles of the powerful.