In the Epstein leaks, Ehud Barak trusts Hamas more than Mahmoud Abbas
Executive summary
The Epstein files show extensive and sometimes intimate interactions between Jeffrey Epstein and former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, including travel, business discussions and private recordings, but they do not provide clear evidence that Barak said he “trusts Hamas more than Mahmoud Abbas”; reporting in the released materials contains no documented quote or explicit claim to that effect [1] [2] [3]. Multiple outlets summarising the newly released pages describe Barak’s frequent contacts with Epstein, his involvement in start‑ups and geopolitical conversations, and even an FBI memo alleging intelligence ties — yet none of the cited pieces report a statement comparing trust in Hamas versus trust in the Palestinian Authority leader [4] [5] [3].
1. What the Epstein files demonstrably contain about Barak
The materials made public in the recent tranche include emails, visit logs and at least one recorded conversation between Epstein and Barak that illuminate business pitches, introductions to tech figures such as Peter Thiel and Palantir, and discussions about demographic and political strategies for Israel, with Barak appearing as a frequent interlocutor who used Epstein as an adviser or connector well after Epstein’s 2008 conviction [6] [5] [7]. Journalists reported Barak’s repeated stays at Epstein’s New York apartment and dozens of contacts across 2013–2017, while other stories highlight recordings in which Barak and Epstein discuss lobbying Vladimir Putin and immigration as a way to “reshape Israel’s demographics,” matters that are political but not a simple public endorsement of an armed group over a Palestinian leader [2] [3] [8].
2. What the sources allege — and what they do not allege — about Barak’s views on Palestinian actors
Some outlet summaries emphasize Barak’s blunt private talk about population shifts and his geopolitical manoeuvres, and one recording quoted in reporting has Barak and Epstein chuckling about trafficking‑related language while discussing immigration and demographics; these items have been used to infer hardline attitudes toward Palestinian presence in Israel/Palestine, but none of the provided reports quote Barak as saying he trusts Hamas more than Mahmoud Abbas or that he prefers one Palestinian actor over another in those terms [3] [8]. The publicised FBI memo and informant claims cited in several pieces raise the notion of intelligence links and unusual proximity between Epstein and Israeli figures, but those documents do not convert into on‑record statements about expressed trust in Hamas versus the Palestinian Authority leader in the sources provided [9] [3].
3. Possible reasons the claim may have circulated — and the limits of the public record
The combination of Barak’s candid private recordings discussing sensitive political tactics, Epstein’s role as a broker connecting leaders across the Middle East, and sensational interpretations by some outlets creates fertile ground for inference and amplification; articles show Epstein arranging meetings between Barak and Arab interlocutors and pushing introductions that mixed politics and business, which can be read as political manoeuvring but stop short of proving a line like “I trust Hamas more than Abbas” [10] [6]. Several investigative summaries explicitly caution that mentions in the Epstein files are not proof of illegal activity and that much material remains ambiguous or unverified — a caveat that applies to any dramatic paraphrase not directly printed in the documents cited by BBC, Al Jazeera, Middle East Eye and others [4] [1] [5].
4. Conclusion: the evidence does not substantiate the specific claim
Based on the reporting provided, there is authoritative documentation of Barak’s ongoing relationship with Epstein, political conversations captured on recordings and emails about tech, demographics and international introductions, and even contested FBI informant notes about espionage connections — but none of the cited public reporting or release excerpts supplies a documented statement in which Ehud Barak explicitly says he trusts Hamas more than Mahmoud Abbas, so the specific claim is unsupported by the sources available here [6] [4] [9] [3]. Readers must therefore treat any circulating assertion that Barak expressed greater trust in Hamas than in Mahmoud Abbas as unproven by the Epstein materials cited in these articles, while remaining aware that the files contain many other politically charged and ethically troubling items that merit scrutiny [1] [2].