Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has spoken out after his name was mentioned in a number of controversial documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, saying he regrets having met him.
Speaking to Channel 12 News, Barak faced questions over reports that he had repeatedly stayed in an apartment owned by Epstein during trips to the United States, as well as over a recording published last week in which he is allegedly heard making sexist and racist remarks and suggesting offsetting Arab population growth with Russian immigrants.
“I am responsible for my actions, and there is certainly room to question whether I should have exercised fuller judgment and sought more information about Epstein’s conduct,” Barak said.
He added that he regrets meeting Epstein.
“I certainly regret the moment I met him in 2003. In all the 15 years I knew Epstein, I never saw a single unreasonable event or any inappropriate behavior. I was not aware of his crimes until 2019, and perhaps you were not either,” he stated.
When asked about a 2016 photograph showing him entering Epstein’s Manhattan residence with his face partially covered by a scarf, Barak said he had wrapped himself up due to the cold and noted that he was photographed leaving the same building later that day without his face covered, suggesting he had nothing to hide.
Addressing reports that he and his wife stayed multiple times between 2015 and 2019 in an apartment owned by Epstein, Barak said it was convenient during his visits to New York, as he could leave personal belongings there. He stressed that any citizen has the right to stay in an apartment owned by someone they know and insisted there was nothing illegal about it. He also noted that he was not serving as prime minister at the time.
