By: Justin Winograd

The revelation came quietly but hit with force: more than 100,000 private emails belonging to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak were leaked by a hacker collective and passed to a transparency group, DDoSecrets. The cache, now under review by journalists and analysts, paints a vivid picture of Barak’s sustained and secretive relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

While Barak has long acknowledged some ties to Epstein, including business investments, the leaked communications suggest an intimacy and persistence that far exceed what he has admitted publicly. Media outlets have reported that the emails document travel arrangements, personal notes, and business dealings spanning years — including at least one trip to Epstein’s notorious Caribbean retreat, Little Saint James.

The revelations, first reported in Hebrew-language outlets before rippling into global media, raise fresh questions not only about Barak’s credibility but also about the broader entanglement of world leaders with Epstein’s shadowy network.

Among the most startling details is a January 2014 email exchange in which Barak asked Epstein for assistance in arranging a visit to Little Saint James without his state-provided security team.

“I am still trying to arrange that the security won’t come with us to the island,” Barak wrote, referring to Israel’s government-mandated protection protocols for former prime ministers.

Epstein, in his reply, assured Barak that a helicopter would collect him directly from St. Thomas airport and deliver him discreetly to the private island.

For experts in international security, the request was extraordinary. “For a political figure of Barak’s stature to deliberately sideline official protection raises immediate red flags,” said one former Israeli intelligence officer. “It suggests he was intent on ensuring privacy that went beyond normal discretion.”

The notion of “no witnesses, no security” recurs throughout the leaked cache, reinforcing the perception that Barak’s visits to Epstein’s properties were carefully shielded from oversight.

The trove includes correspondence before and after the alleged visit. In one note, Barak thanked Epstein for the hospitality, writing simply: “Thank you for the hosting. A wonderful and impressive island.”

The language was casual, even warm — a tone that stands in contrast with Barak’s public efforts to minimize their relationship. While Barak has consistently denied attending controversial parties or inappropriate gatherings, the emails suggest comfort and familiarity, hallmarks of a sustained personal bond.

Beyond travel arrangements, the emails show repeated communication on joint investments, particularly in technology and defense-related companies. Barak, a decorated former general and Israel’s most decorated soldier, was long courted for his connections in both the defense and financial sectors.

The emails describe not only financial collaboration but also invitations to private events, dinners, and discussions, stretching over years. Taken together, the correspondence undermines claims that the relationship was brief or purely professional.

The revelations add Barak’s name — again — to the long list of political, financial, and cultural elites whose reputations have been darkened by ties to Epstein. From Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, to Prince Andrew and powerful figures in academia and finance, Epstein cultivated a network that straddled influence and secrecy.

The New York Times has previously reported that Barak was photographed entering Epstein’s New York townhouse in 2016, years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for sex crimes involving minors. At the time, Barak insisted he had no knowledge of any illegal activity and that his interactions with Epstein were limited to business ventures.

The leaked cache now contradicts that narrative, showing a years-long correspondence marked by personal notes and deliberate secrecy.

For Barak, who once sought a political comeback and has remained a voice in Israeli public life, the timing could hardly be worse. Israel is facing existential challenges, from its war with Hamas to intensifying regional conflict with Iran and Hezbollah. The exposure of a former prime minister’s private dealings with a convicted sex offender adds another layer of strain to Israel’s already polarized political culture.

Opposition figures have seized on the revelations, with some calling for Barak to provide full transparency. “It is not only a matter of personal reputation,” one Israeli lawmaker said. “It is a matter of national dignity. A former prime minister cannot appear compromised or beholden to someone like Epstein.”

At its core, the Barak-Epstein connection illustrates a larger, troubling phenomenon: the willingness of powerful figures to maintain ties with Epstein even after his 2008 conviction, drawn by the lure of money, connections, or perhaps something less tangible.

As The New York Times has documented in past investigations, Epstein was a master manipulator of elite insecurities and ambitions, offering introductions, funding, and the trappings of exclusivity. For Barak — a former head of state who moved fluidly between politics, finance, and international consulting — the association promised both access to capital and entrée into a global network of influence.

The cost of that association is now becoming clear.

The emails were obtained by a group calling itself Handala, an anonymous hacker collective, and passed to DDoSecrets, a transparency organization that has published politically sensitive leaks in the past.

Cybersecurity experts have not yet independently authenticated all of the correspondence, but the sheer scale and granularity of the archive — including headers, metadata, and multi-year threads — suggest the material is genuine.

Barak has not commented directly on the leaks, though in previous statements he insisted he cut ties with Epstein once the financier’s criminal record became clear. The new documents suggest otherwise.

For analysts, the most consequential detail is not necessarily the personal tone of the emails but the deliberate effort to evade security oversight. In democratic systems, the movements of former leaders are monitored not only for their own safety but also for reasons of national security.

“Sidestepping one’s security detail isn’t just about privacy — it’s about accountability,” said Dr. Daniel Byman, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “When a leader does that, it raises the question: what did they not want witnessed?”

The reaction in Israel has been one of uneasy silence mixed with outrage. While Barak has had political adversaries for decades, the leaked emails provide concrete evidence that contradicts his earlier denials.

For some ordinary Israelis, the news confirms suspicions that the elite live by a different set of rules, one where money and access shield them from scrutiny until documents or leaks force the truth into daylight.

The New York Times has noted similar public reactions in the United States and Britain whenever new Epstein connections are revealed: a mixture of fascination, disgust, and resignation about how deeply entrenched the financier’s network once was.

It remains unclear how Barak will respond, or whether the Israeli government or legal authorities will pursue inquiries. For now, the scandal is less about potential criminal liability and more about ethical and reputational damage.

Still, analysts note that Israel is already grappling with international scrutiny over its conduct in Gaza and Lebanon. The perception of a former prime minister hiding ties with Epstein could further complicate the country’s efforts to project moral clarity on the world stage.

The Barak-Epstein leak underscores an uncomfortable truth about politics and power: relationships that thrive in secrecy can unravel explosively when exposed.

It also illustrates the importance of independent journalism and transparency initiatives. Without hackers and leak-publishing groups, the correspondence might never have seen the light of day. As The New York Times has repeatedly shown in its own reporting on Epstein, such revelations are critical for understanding the hidden alliances that shape global politics.

In the end, what the emails reveal is not simply a relationship between one former prime minister and one disgraced financier. They reveal a system in which wealth, influence, and secrecy can bind even the most seasoned leaders into compromising associations — associations that survive until the documents emerge and the public begins to ask questions that were long overdue.