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New documents released by the Department of Justice’s latest Epstein document release reveal that the Israeli government installed and managed security equipment at a Manhattan apartment building controlled by Jeffrey Epstein.
Getting into it: First reported by Drop Site News, the tranche of emails shows that beginning in early 2016, Israeli officials coordinated directly with Epstein’s staff to secure an apartment at 301 East 66th Street in Manhattan. While the property was not Epstein’s primary Upper East Side mansion, it was effectively under his control through a company linked to his brother, Mark Epstein. The building’s units were frequently loaned to Epstein’s associates and, according to reporting, were at times used to house young models, adding to the controversy surrounding its use.
The emails detail discussions about installing alarms, window sensors, and surveillance systems with remote access capabilities. In a January 2016 exchange, Nili Priell explained that access to the unit would be remotely controlled and that anyone entering would need prior clearance through Rafi Shlomo, who oversaw Ehud Barak’s security detail at Israel’s UN mission. Epstein’s assistant confirmed that Epstein personally authorized the structural changes required for the system’s installation. Emails also indicate that Israeli security personnel vetted building staff and maintained oversight of who could enter during Barak’s stays , arrangements consistent with state-funded protection provided to former Israeli prime ministers but controversial given the property’s control by Epstein.
The emails and related records further show that other Israeli figures, including Barak’s longtime aide Yoni Koren, were frequent visitors to the 66th Street apartment. Koren reportedly stayed there multiple times, including during periods when he held official roles within Israel’s Ministry of Defense and later while receiving medical treatment in New York.
This all comes as Ehud Barak, who frequently stayed at the apartment for extended periods, has faced sustained criticism over the depth of his association with Epstein, particularly given Epstein’s 2008 conviction and later federal sex-trafficking charges. Barak has downplayed the relationship, stating that Epstein did not finance him and that he was unaware of the full scope of Epstein’s crimes.
Political rivals in Israel have seized on the emails, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arguing that the documents implicate Barak personally rather than the Israeli state. Netanyahu has also rejected online claims that Epstein acted as an intelligence asset for Israel, calling such allegations unfounded and politically motivated.
