Israel installed security at Epstein’s Manhattan apartment for ex-PM Barak | News

Investigative report reveals the Israeli UN mission coordinated with the convicted sex offender’s staff to secure a Manhattan residence.

The Israeli government installed security equipment and controlled access to a Manhattan apartment building managed by the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to an investigation published by Drop Site News.

Based on a tranche of emails recently released by the United States Department of Justice, the report detailed how Israeli officials coordinated directly with Epstein’s staff starting in early 2016 to secure a residence at 301 East 66th Street. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak frequently used the apartment for extended stays.

While the property was technically owned by a company linked to Epstein’s brother, Mark Epstein, the disgraced financier essentially controlled it. The units in the building were frequently loaned to Epstein’s associates and used to house underage models, the report said.

Barak served as prime minister from 1999 to 2001. Under Israeli law, former prime ministers receive state-funded security after leaving office. The documents expose a direct operational relationship between Israel’s permanent mission to the United Nations and Epstein’s enterprise.

Rafi Shlomo, the former director of protective services at the Israeli mission and head of Barak’s security detail, personally controlled access to the apartment. Shlomo conducted background checks on Epstein’s employees and cleaning staff and held meetings with them to coordinate the installation of surveillance equipment.

Coordinated surveillance

The structural modifications carried out by the Israeli government required permission from Epstein.

In a January 2016 email exchange, Barak’s wife, Nili Priell, discussed the installation of alarms and surveillance tools with Epstein’s longtime assistant Lesley Groff. Priell noted the system included sensors on the windows and remote access capabilities.

“They can neutralize the system from far, before you need somebody to enter the appartment [sic],” Priell wrote. “The only thing to do is call Rafi from the consulate and let him know who and when is entering.”

Groff later confirmed to Barak and Priell that Epstein had personally authorised the physical alterations to the property, writing: “Jeffrey says he does not mind holes in the walls and this is all just fine!”

The correspondence between the Israeli mission and Epstein’s representatives continued regularly throughout 2016 and 2017 to manage access for maids and coordinate subsequent visits by Barak.

State ties and political fallout

After Epstein’s death in a New York jail in 2019 while he was awaiting a sex-trafficking trial, Barak tried to downplay his relationship with the financier, claiming that while they had met, Epstein never supported or paid him.

The political fallout from the relationship has been seized upon by Barak’s rivals in Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently weaponised the newly released documents, arguing that the ties implicated Barak rather than Israel.

“Jeffrey Epstein’s unusual close relationship with Ehud Barak doesn’t suggest Epstein worked for Israel. It proves the opposite,” Netanyahu stated, accusing Barak of working with the “anti-Zionist radical left” to undermine Israel’s current government.

However, the emails released by the US Justice Department demonstrate that the entanglement extended beyond Barak to other active Israeli state officials.

Yoni Koren, a longtime aide to Barak who died in 2023, was also a frequent guest at the 66th Street apartment. Congressional investigations and leaked emails indicated Koren stayed at the Epstein-controlled residence multiple times, including in 2013 while he was serving as the bureau chief for the Israeli Ministry of Defence. Further records showed Koren continued to use the apartment while receiving medical treatment in New York until Epstein’s final arrest in 2019.

Intelligence and settler funding

The ties between Epstein and Israel have come into sharp focus since the release of millions of documents relating to the criminal investigations into Epstein. Beyond his interactions with members of the global elite, including Barak, the files document Epstein’s financial support for Israeli groups, including Friends of the Israeli army and the settler organisation the Jewish National Fund as well as his connections to the Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency.

Barak has expressed remorse over his ties to Epstein. Despite the financier pleading guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008, which resulted in a prison sentence, Barak maintained a close personal and business relationship with him. The former Israeli leader claimed he remained unaware of the full scope of Epstein’s crimes until a wider federal inquiry was opened in 2019.