Newly released documents and emails reveal the ways Jeffrey Epstein and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak leveraged conflict and insecurity in Africa to advance Israeli surveillance, cyber, and commercial interests.
Investigations by Drop Site News and Al Jazeera, based on US Department of Justice releases, outline a complex network linking Epstein’s properties, Israeli officials, and African states, particularly Nigeria.
At the center of the reporting is Epstein’s Manhattan apartment at 301 E. 66th Street, where Barak frequently stayed. Emails show Israeli officials coordinated security operations at the residence, installing specialized equipment and managing access through Rafi Shlomo, then director of protective services at Israel’s UN mission.
Staff conducted background checks on cleaners and Epstein employees, with operational approval directly from Epstein.
The material underscores Epstein’s infrastructure not merely as a private residence, but as a venue capable of supporting state-adjacent operations, demonstrating how private networks can facilitate strategic objectives.
In Nigeria, the reporting traces a pattern in which insecurity created openings for commercial and technological interventions.
Boko Haram-era attacks provided a justification for deploying Israeli biometric and cyber tools, marketed as counterterrorism solutions.
Barak and business partner Gary Fegel invested $15 million in FST Biometrics, a company founded by former Israeli military intelligence chief Aharon Ze’evi Farkash.
The technology, originally tested on Palestinians at Gaza checkpoints, was implemented at Nigerian institutions such as Babcock University. The system, described as “filtering unwanted persons,” illustrates how surveillance marketed as safety can embed population-control logics and establish footholds for broader influence.
The documents also reveal a commercial dimension linked to ports and infrastructure. Security projects often served as gateways to negotiations involving DP World and Nigeria’s sovereign investment fund, with discussions targeting strategic locations around Lagos and Badagry.
Correspondence suggests these operations intersected with diplomatic efforts, including cultivating Israel-UAE ties ahead of the Abraham Accords. Scrutiny over these links led to the resignation of DP World CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, highlighting the intersection of private networks, state interests, and global commerce.
Taken together, the reporting demonstrates a broader pattern: conflict opens doors; surveillance provides justification; and strategic assets such as ports and cyber infrastructure deliver long-term commercial and geopolitical leverage.
Israeli security technologies, developed in occupation contexts, were translated into solutions for African states through private intermediaries like Epstein and Barak, often blurring the lines between private and state operations.
Ultimately, the investigations map how African insecurity can become currency for foreign actors, enabling the deployment of surveillance systems, biometric controls, and cyber projects that persist beyond immediate crises.
The combination of Manhattan-based operational coordination, Nigeria-focused deployments, and strategic infrastructure deals presents a stark picture of how private networks, former officials, and state-linked actors can convert conflict into influence, revenue, and long-term access, often with minimal oversight and limited public scrutiny in the countries most affected.
Courtesy of the Palestine Chronicle
Picture: Jeffrey Epstein