The Epstein Files

Episode: File 83 - The Israel Connection: International Intelligence Ties
Date: February 17, 2026
Host: Island Investigation

Overview of the Episode

This episode dives into the web of documented connections between Jeffrey Epstein, the Maxwell family, and Israeli intelligence. Drawing from millions of pages of court documents, FBI files, flight logs, and sworn testimonies, the AI-hosted team systematically separates proven fact from speculation regarding Epstein's alleged ties to Mossad, Israeli politicians, and state surveillance projects. The episode’s guiding principle is clarity: what is solidly documented by the evidence, and what remains intriguing yet unproven rumor or allegation?

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Robert Maxwell: State Asset and the Foundation of the Network

• [00:31–02:25]
  • Robert Maxwell’s 1991 death and Israeli state funeral, which involved six heads of intelligence and high-ranking officials, is introduced as highly unusual for a media mogul.
  • Quote:
    • Investigator 2 (01:12): “That is a send-off reserved for a state asset, not a civilian.”
  • Israeli PM Yitzhak Shamir’s eulogy: “[Maxwell] had done more for Israel than can today be said,” an explicit nod to classified operations.
  • Implication: Maxwell’s media empire was a front for deep intelligence work.

2. Promise Software Scandal: Technology, Espionage, and the Maxwell Distribution Model

• [02:46–04:48]
  • Description of PROMIS software, an early case management tool with unique ability to integrate databases—a “digital Trojan horse.”
  • Israeli intelligence (notably Rafi Eitan) allegedly inserted a backdoor, with Maxwell selling the compromised software worldwide, including to adversaries of Israel.
  • Quote:
    • Investigator 2 (04:12): “Robert Maxwell was the distribution mechanism for it. He was the primary salesman.”
  • British government suspected Maxwell was an Israeli agent, treating him as such in internal documents.

3. The Hand-Off: Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein, and the Personal Files

• [05:29–06:44]
  • After Robert Maxwell’s death, Ghislaine immediately relocates to New York and links with Epstein.
  • Epstein physically stores Robert Maxwell’s personal archives at his Palm Beach residence for years—a critical, concrete connection.
  • Quote:
    • Investigator 1 (06:04): “It’s not just that he was housing Ghislaine. He was physically warehousing the personal papers. The archives of a man who was buried with state honors by Israeli intelligence.”
  • Implies not just social, but operational and strategic partnership.

4. The Business Model: Surveillance, Entrapment, and Continuity

• [06:44–07:13]
  • The episode draws parallels between Maxwell’s and Epstein’s “business model”—surveillance, leverage, financial complexity, and potential entrapment of powerful figures.
  • Quote:
    • Investigator 2 (06:57): “The methodology is consistent, only the management changed.”

5. Ari Ben-Menashe's Testimony: Firsthand Claims and Their Limitations

• [07:13–08:48]
  • Ben-Menashe, a confirmed former Israeli intelligence officer, claims to have witnessed Epstein’s recruitment by Maxwell for a state-sponsored blackmail operation.
  • Quote:
    • Investigator 2 (07:57): “He claims that Epstein and Ghislaine were recruited to run a sexual blackmail operation targeting American politicians, and that this was done on behalf of Israeli military intelligence.”
  • But: Ben-Menashe is labeled as prone to unverifiable claims; there’s no corroborating evidence—his is a single-source, unconfirmed allegation.

6. The Acosta “He Belonged to Intelligence” Quote: Origin, Evidence, and Denials

• [09:15–10:55]
  • The famous quote is sourced to a single, anonymous individual via the Daily Beast; Acosta himself denied it under oath to the DOJ.
  • Quote:
    • Investigator 2 (10:45): “The findings stated there was, quote, no evidence that Epstein was an intelligence asset and no evidence that anyone involved in the original investigation believed he was one.”

7. FBI’s FD-1023 Report: Raw Allegation, Discredited Source

• [11:05–12:03]
  • FBI received an unverified tip claiming Epstein was trained as a spy under Ehud Barak, but source (Charles Johnson) is identified as unreliable.
  • Quote:
    • Investigator 2 (11:57): “It proves the FBI logged a rumor. That’s it. It does not prove the rumor is true.”

8. Hard Evidence: Financial Links to Ehud Barak and Advanced Surveillance Technology

• [12:21–15:17]
  • Epstein is the key financier behind Carbyne (an Israeli surveillance tech firm).
  • Barak (former Israeli PM) is its chairman; investments traced through an Epstein-linked shell company.
  • Creation of “Graphen” to mask Carbyne’s Israeli roots for sales to Arab states—mirrors Maxwell-era PROMIS playbook.
  • Direct financial transfers from Wexner Foundation to Barak, signed by Epstein ($2.3 million for “research”).
  • Quote:
    • Investigator 2 (16:05): “It demonstrates that Epstein held the keys to this entire financial relationship. He was the gatekeeper. He was the architect.”
  • Physical proximity: Barak, his wife, and his chief of staff kept apartments in Epstein’s buildings, together with the trafficking operation.

9. Entrapment Architecture: Surveillance in Epstein’s Properties

• [17:09–18:56]
  • Victim Maria Farmer provides credible testimony (corroborated by police evidence) about hidden cameras and audio devices throughout Epstein’s properties.
  • Police found and seized surveillance hardware (like a pinhole camera clock) and tapes documenting illegal activity—material potentially used as kompromat.
  • Quote:
    • Investigator 2 (18:46): “It is the textbook definition of kompromat. If you have video evidence of a world leader…committing a crime, you have leverage.”

10. Official Denials: Mossad and Gray Areas of Intelligence Work

• [19:04–20:03]
  • Former Mossad head Yossi Cohen (2026): “Epstein had, quote, absolutely nothing to do with Mossad.”
  • The investigators note this typically refers only to formal agent status—not ruling out asset or other indirect relationships.

11. JMail Archive: Netanyahu, Barak, and Emails Hinting at Intelligence Reputational Concerns

• [20:10–20:53]
  • 2018 email from Barak to Epstein: “You should make clear that I don’t work for Mossad,” indicating anxiety over public perceptions and persistent rumors.

12. The Libya Email: Epstein Approached as a Geopolitical “Fixer”

• [21:03–21:43]
  • In 2011, Epstein was pitched to help recover $80 billion in Libyan assets, with a team involving ex-MI6 and Mossad agents.
  • Quote:
    • Investigator 2 (21:43): “You don’t pitch that kind of operation…to a simple financier. You pitch it to someone who is viewed as a geopolitical fixer.”

13. Epstein’s Legal Team and the CIA/NSA: Glomar Response

• [22:07–22:58]
  • Epstein’s lawyers filed FOIA requests with the CIA/NSA for any records on him. They received the standard “neither confirm nor deny” (Glomar) reply, indicating the intelligence angle was seen as plausible even by his own legal team.

Synthesis: What the Documents Actually Show

Documented Facts (“Hard Column”)

• Maxwell: Confirmed state asset for Israel, state funeral, intelligence connections (23:18–24:06).
• Epstein: Took physical possession of Maxwell’s archives.
• Epstein: Key financier for Barak’s advanced surveillance ventures; shell companies used to conceal Israeli involvement.
• Epstein: Installed sophisticated surveillance (“blackmail”) hardware in his properties.
• Barak and other Israeli intelligence figures: Frequented/lived in Epstein-controlled buildings and properties.

Speculation/Unproven (“Soft Column”)

• No direct documentation of Epstein's formal recruitment or official payment by intelligence.
• Allegations by Ben-Menashe and others are unverified, remain single-source.
• No proof Epstein delivered kompromat or was handled by intelligence agencies.

Quote:

• Investigator 2 (24:27): “What the documents show is a man who is deeply, deeply embedded in the architecture of State security. He used the methods of espionage, he financed the technology of espionage, and he housed the personnel of espionage.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Maxwell’s status:
  • Investigator 2 (01:12): “That is a send-off reserved for a state asset, not a civilian.”
• On parallel business models:
  • Investigator 2 (06:57): “The continuity is the evidence itself. Maxwell bugged offices…Epstein did the same. The methodology is consistent, only the management changed.”
• On missing paperwork:
  • Investigator 2 (24:27): “We have the architecture of an intelligence operation, but not the HR paperwork.”
• On kompromat:
  • Investigator 2 (18:46): “It is the textbook definition of kompromat. If you have video evidence…you have leverage.”
• On the legal team’s strategies:
  • Investigator 1 (22:45): “It shows that Epstein’s own lawyers were probing the US Intelligence agencies…not as a wild conspiracy theory, but as a concrete legal reality that they needed to investigate.”

Key Timestamps for Major Segments

• Maxwell Funeral and Israeli State Asset Status: 00:31 – 02:25
• The PROMIS Software Espionage Model: 02:46 – 04:48
• Ghislaine, Epstein, and the Maxwell Files: 05:29 – 06:44
• Parallel Models: Surveillance and Blackmail: 06:44 – 07:13
• Ari Ben-Menashe Allegations: 07:13 – 08:48
• Acosta “Belonged to Intelligence” Quote: 09:15 – 10:55
• FBI Tip and Charles Johnson: 11:05 – 12:03
• Epstein Funding Barak, Carbyne & Graphen: 12:21 – 15:17
• Surveillance Hardware and Compromat: 17:09 – 18:56
• Official Mossad Denial and Gray Areas: 19:04 – 20:03
• JMail Archive—Barak to Epstein: 20:10 – 20:53
• Libya Email and Geopolitical Fixing: 21:03 – 21:43
• Epstein’s Legal Team Seeks CIA/NSA Files: 22:07 – 22:58
• Summary of Documented vs. Speculative: 23:18 – end

Conclusion: The Documented Reality

While there is no “smoking gun” proving Epstein was a formal intelligence agent, the evidence documents a deep, structural, and operational overlap between his network and Israeli state interests—from surveillance technology financing, to housing powerful intelligence and political figures, to storing the secrets of known state assets. The lines between private criminal activity and state-level espionage are shown to be exceptionally blurred, and the official record stops only just short of formal recruitment.

For every claim discussed, listeners are encouraged to review the primary documents cited, accessible via the podcast’s website.