Epstein Emails Reveal Years-Long Effort to Connect Peter Thiel With Israeli Leader
Newly released emails from the Justice Department’s Epstein files suggest that disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein spent years attempting to connect tech billionaire Peter Thiel with former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak.
The correspondence shows Epstein trying at least six times between 2013 and 2016 to arrange meetings between the two men, often coordinating schedules and following up repeatedly when plans fell through.
In one email from 2016, Epstein suggested meeting with Thiel during upcoming travel stops in Europe, the Caribbean, or Saudi Arabia. Thiel declined the Saudi meeting, replying that he intended to avoid the Middle East “for the next decade or so.”
Despite scheduling difficulties, emails indicate that Epstein successfully brought Thiel and Barak together at least once in June 2014 during a dinner at Epstein’s Manhattan residence. Messages exchanged after the meeting suggest they discussed topics including Israeli national security and technology.
Epstein later continued encouraging contact between the two men. In another exchange, he told Thiel that Barak was “the smartest person in the country” and suggested they meet again while Thiel was visiting Israel.
Documents also show Epstein attempting to facilitate business discussions involving Israeli technology ventures connected to Barak. One of the companies mentioned in the emails was cybersecurity firm Guardicore, while another was emergency-technology company Carbyne.
Carbyne later received investment funding from Founders Fund, a venture capital firm co-founded by Thiel. Emails suggest Epstein helped introduce company leaders to investors connected to Thiel’s network.
The correspondence highlights Epstein’s role as a connector among prominent political and business figures even after his 2008 conviction for sex crimes involving minors.
Epstein maintained relationships with a wide range of influential individuals in finance, politics and technology before his arrest in 2019 on federal sex-trafficking charges. He died in jail later that year while awaiting trial.
The newly surfaced emails add to ongoing scrutiny of Epstein’s extensive network of high-profile contacts and the business relationships that emerged through his connections.
