A former world leader, once hailed as a military hero and peacemaker, slipping quietly into a luxurious Manhattan apartment owned by a convicted sex offender—multiple times, years after the world knew Epstein’s dark secrets.
In the staggering 2026 Epstein Files—over three million pages of unsealed Justice Department documents—emails, maintenance notes, and correspondence reveal that former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and his wife Nili Priel stayed repeatedly at Epstein’s New York residence well after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for procuring a minor for prostitution. Staff casually referred to unit 11J as “Ehud’s apartment,” with requests for cleaning, alarm installations, and logistics during their visits stretching into 2017 and beyond.
Barak has expressed regret for the friendship and insists he witnessed nothing improper, but these covert, prolonged stays—hidden for over a decade—now fuel intense scrutiny over judgment, influence, and what conversations truly took place behind those doors.
How deep did the ties run—and what else remains buried?
A former world leader, once hailed as a military hero and peacemaker, slipping quietly into a luxurious Manhattan apartment owned by a convicted sex offender—multiple times, years after the world knew Epstein’s dark secrets.
In the staggering 2026 Epstein Files—over three million pages unsealed by the U.S. Department of Justice in late January—emails, maintenance notes, staff correspondence, and internal records expose the depth of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s post-conviction ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The documents detail repeated, extended stays by Barak and his wife Nili Priel at Epstein’s properties, including a New York apartment in the building at 301 East 66th Street, which Epstein’s staff casually referred to as “Ehud’s apartment” or unit 11J.
Emails from Epstein’s assistant Leslie Groff and others show Barak and Priel “taking over” the unit, with requests for upgrades like faster internet, alarm system installations, and routine cleaning during visits stretching from at least 2015 into 2017 and beyond. One 2015 note quipped that 11J was becoming “his apartment,” while logistics for stays included welcome arrangements for other guests but none needed for “Ehud in his regular apt.” Barak has acknowledged staying at Epstein’s New York residence “from time to time” during U.S. visits when out of office, and the files corroborate regular correspondence, meetings, and phone calls post-2008—when Epstein pleaded guilty to procuring a minor for prostitution and served 13 months.
The relationship spanned over a decade, beginning around 2003 via an introduction from former Israeli President Shimon Peres. It included Barak flying on Epstein’s plane, a brief three-hour family visit to Little St. James (seeing only Epstein and staff), and business discussions, such as Epstein advising on post-premiership ventures and investments in startups linked to Barak, like the emergency response firm later known as Carbyne.
In response to the 2026 release, Barak expressed deep regret in interviews, including with Israel’s Channel 12, stating he “regrets ever having met” Epstein, apologizes to those uncomfortable with the association, and takes responsibility for his actions. He insists he witnessed no improper behavior, no parties involving abuse, and was unaware of the full extent of Epstein’s crimes until the 2019 federal probe. Barak has denied any involvement in wrongdoing, emphasizing the friendship ended before Epstein’s 2019 arrest and death.
No documents in the release allege criminal activity by Barak or tie him to Epstein’s sex trafficking. Yet the prolonged, covert nature of the stays—despite Epstein’s registered sex offender status—and the casual staff references to “Ehud’s apartment” have sparked intense scrutiny in Israel and beyond. Critics question Barak’s judgment in maintaining such close contact for years after red flags emerged, amid broader revelations of Epstein’s elite network.
These details add to the files’ portrait of unchecked access among powerful figures, where personal and professional lines blurred long after Epstein’s conviction. As analysis of the vast trove continues, the Barak-Epstein saga underscores persistent questions about influence, accountability, and what conversations—or secrets—lingered behind closed doors in those Manhattan units.
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