Naftali Bennett, Israel’s former prime minister, issued a rare and emphatic rebuttal Monday to growing speculation that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was connected to Israeli intelligence.
Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Bennett rejected claims circulating online—most notably amplified by conservative commentator Tucker Carlson—that Epstein was working for Mossad, Israel’s national intelligence agency.
“As a former Israeli Prime Minister, with the Mossad having reported directly to me, I say to you with 100% certainty,” Bennett wrote. “The accusation that Jeffrey Epstein somehow worked for Israel or the Mossad running a blackmail ring is categorically and totally false.”
Bennett called the allegations “a lie” and directly named Carlson for spreading them.
“Epstein never worked for the Mossad,” Bennett stated. “This accusation is a lie being peddled by prominent online personalities such as Tucker Carlson pretending they know things they don’t.”
He went further, suggesting the claims are part of a broader pattern of anti-Israel disinformation:
“They just make things up, say it with confidence, and these lies stick—because it’s Israel. There’s a vicious wave of slander and lies against my country and my people, and we just won’t take it anymore.”
Bennett’s response came just days after Carlson, speaking at a Turning Point USA event in Florida, floated the theory that Epstein was tied to a foreign intelligence agency—implying that it was likely Israel’s.
“Everyone in Washington thinks he worked for a foreign intelligence agency, probably not American,” Carlson claimed. “No one’s allowed to say that it’s Israel.”
Carlson also argued that there’s a taboo in political circles around questioning Israel’s actions or influence, calling it a “creepy” dynamic that fuels mistrust.
After Bennett’s post, Carlson responded by framing the former prime minister’s words as a personal threat:
“‘You just won’t take it anymore’? Instead of issuing threats on social media, why don’t you sit down for a rational interview on Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to the Israeli government?” Carlson wrote, adding, “We’ll reach out to your office this morning.”
The exchange has added fuel to an already volatile mix of Epstein conspiracy theories and political tensions, especially as speculation around Epstein’s past resurfaces amid new public pressure for transparency on the so-called “client list” and law enforcement’s handling of the case.
To date, no evidence has publicly substantiated the claim that Epstein was tied to any foreign intelligence service—including Mossad.