The arrest last week of wealthy financier and sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein has resonated in Israel because of his mysterious—but well-known—ties to former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who announced a new bid for office last week, and whose name appeared in Epstein’s infamous black book of prominent guests.
The news could not have come at a better time for current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing a tough reelection campaign after failing to form a government following elections in April, throwing the country into an unprecedented second consecutive electoral campaign.
Netanyahu, who has been in office for 10 years, is expected to be indicted on three counts of corruption after a hearing scheduled for October 7, less than three weeks after the September 17 vote. And he has faced an uphill struggle making accusations against his rivals stick. In June, Netanyahu’s attempts to taint hardline former defense minister Avigdor Lieberman as a “left-winger” provoked laughter from reporters.
