“Shadow Diplomat”: How Jeffrey Epstein Secretly Paved the Way for Israel–UAE Relations

Sudanhorizon – Euronews
Leaked emails have brought back into focus the covert role played by the American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in quietly building unofficial channels of communication between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, years before the formal announcement of the Abraham Accords in 2020, which ushered in a new phase of open relations between the two sides.
The correspondence reveals that Emirati–Israeli ties did not begin with the Abraham Accords, but had existed for decades, encompassing information and intelligence exchanges as well as back-channel contacts for commercial and political cooperation.
According to a report by Drop Site News, Epstein coordinated secret meetings between former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak and Emirati billionaire Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman and CEO of DP World, as part of efforts to explore economic and investment cooperation at a time when no official relations existed between the two countries.
The leaked emails highlight the depth of Epstein’s relationship with bin Sulayem. In one exchange, Epstein described him as “the right hand of Maktoum”, a reference to Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai and Vice President of the UAE—language that, according to the report, underscores bin Sulayem’s proximity to decision-making circles in the emirate.
Meetings and investments
In 2013, Epstein proposed arranging a meeting between Barak and bin Sulayem and sought to facilitate Emirati investment in an Israeli logistics chain. This came shortly after Barak had left the Israeli government, having served as Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister until March of that year.
In one leaked message, Barak wrote that the timing was “still too early” for such overt cooperation, suggesting it might become feasible “when we are engaged in a real peace process” or “after the next revolution on one side of the Middle Eastern barriers”. He added: “We need to think more seriously about how to make use of this knowledge,” referring to the emerging relationship with the Emirati side.
According to the report, several meetings between Barak and bin Sulayem were indeed held, brokered by Epstein.
An “unofficial intermediary”
While the United States presented the Abraham Accords in 2020 as a “historic breakthrough” in the Middle East, Epstein’s emails suggest that relations between the UAE and Israel were far deeper and more entrenched than publicly acknowledged, including long-standing intelligence and commercial cooperation.
The documents indicate that Epstein acted as an “unofficial intermediary” or “shadow diplomat”, leveraging his extensive network across politics, security, and business to connect regional and international actors. This reportedly included attempts to broker security deals for Israel and involvement in discussions with Russia concerning the war in Syria.
The emails also reveal that Epstein hosted Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem on his private Caribbean island, Little Saint James, and that correspondence between the two dates back to 2007—after Epstein had already been accused of sexual assault.
Some of the messages reportedly contain exchanges of crude jokes about a woman known to both men.
These disclosures form part of thousands of emails released following Epstein’s death in his New York jail cell in 2019, amid pressure from the US Congress. The documents have exposed his links to influential figures, including a British publisher known for ties to Israeli intelligence, as well as businessmen who played significant roles within pro-Israel political and economic lobbying circles.
Other reports have also linked Epstein to earlier relationships with Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi during the 1980s, in the context of the Iran–Contra affair.

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