Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Monaco
Monaco: its Jewish community, relations with "Israel" and Ehud Barak's visits
About 700 Jews live in Monaco, according to the World Jewish Congress (WJC).[1] Relations with "Israel" date from 1964, according to the Israeli foreign ministry.[2] Prince Albert II announced Monaco's recognition of the State of Palestine on 22 September 2025.[3]
Jewish community
Monaco had about 300 Jews before the Second World War. The WJC says that during the war Prince Louis II refused to dismiss Jewish civil servants and that identity papers were issued to protect some Jews from deportation, but that 90 Jews were deported by the Monégasque police, of whom nine survived. In August 2015 Prince Albert II apologised for Monaco's role in the deportations, and a monument to the deported Jews was unveiled at the Monaco Cemetery.[1]
The Association Culturelle Israélite de Monaco has been recognised as the official Jewish representative body since 1948 and is the WJC's affiliate. The community maintains the Synagogue Edmond J. Safra and a Hebrew school. The WJC cites a US State Department report giving about 700 Jews, or about 1,000 including Jewish residents from other countries.[1]
Israeli state and commercial ties
Diplomacy
The Israeli foreign ministry's 2011 list of missions records relations with Monaco as established in January 1964, with "Israel" represented by its consul resident in Marseilles.[2]
Political interference
Recognition of Palestine
Prince Albert II took part in the conference on Palestine co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia during the 80th session of the UN General Assembly. The palace said that Monaco "thus joins more than 150 states that have recognized Palestine".[3] According to News.mc, the prince reaffirmed Monaco's "unwavering support" for the right of "Israel" to exist within secure and recognised borders, while recognising "the right of the Palestinian people to have a sovereign, viable and democratic state".[4]
UN voting
Monaco did not vote on the September 2025 General Assembly resolution endorsing the New York Declaration on a two-state solution.[5]
Ehud Barak emails
The following items come from the two leaked mailboxes of the former Israeli prime minister and defence minister Ehud Barak (ehbarak1@gmail.com and ehud.barak@hyperion-eb.com, 2007–2016). They were hacked and leaked by Handala, a group that Distributed Denial of Secrets describes as "believed to have ties to Iranian intelligence", and were published by Distributed Denial of Secrets in August 2025. The emails carry no cryptographic signatures, and Distributed Denial of Secrets warns that material from such hack-and-leak operations may have been altered.[6]
- In December 2013 Barak was due to speak on a panel organised by the Swiss private bank Julius Baer in Monaco on 16 December. On 5 December a Julius Baer official wrote to him about the format, and Barak replied: "No problem. Do it this way."[7] A week later another Julius Baer official told Barak's office that the programme included a meeting at "the Palace", postponed to 15.30, followed by a meeting with the panel's moderator at 18.00.[8]
- On 29 April 2016, in an email thread with Jeffrey Epstein headed "Monaco? Paris? Meetings", Barak wrote: "Hi Jeff I met BC today in Monaco. He is ready. Assured discreetness. Any news from AdR?" "BC" and "AdR" are not identified in the thread.[9]
Jeffrey Epstein
Documents released by the US Department of Justice in the Jeffrey Epstein files include the following.
- Calendar entries extracted from a device seized from Jeffrey Epstein include a one-hour entry on 29 April 2016 reading "ehud monaco".[10]
See also
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Andorra
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Liechtenstein
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to San Marino
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Vatican City
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Malta
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Luxembourg
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Iceland
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 World Jewish Congress, Community in Monaco worldjewishcongress.org, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Diplomatic Missions Abroad: Status of relations mfa.gov.il, archived 5 August 2011.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Palais Princier de Monaco, 80th United Nations General Assembly palais.mc, 22 September 2025, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ Monaco formally recognises Palestinian state at UN conference News.mc, 23 September 2025, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ United Nations General Assembly, Recorded vote on A/80/L.1/Rev.1: Endorsement of the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, 12 September 2025 (copy hosted by Al-Quds Al-Arabi).
- ↑ Distributed Denial of Secrets, Ehud Barak emails, 27 August 2025, with download at data.ddosecrets.org, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ Email exchange between Julius Baer and Ehud Barak, "Re: Panel discussion 16.12.13 Monaco - Update on format", 5–6 December 2013, file
ehbarak1@gmail.com/Inbox!40/1 (460).html, Ehud Barak emails, Distributed Denial of Secrets, released 27 August 2025 (hacked and leaked by the Handala group), accessed 25 October 2026. - ↑ Email from Nili Priell Barak to Ehud Barak forwarding a message from Julius Baer, "Fwd: Monaco", 13 December 2013, file
ehbarak1@gmail.com/Inbox!40/1 (337).html, Ehud Barak emails, Distributed Denial of Secrets, released 27 August 2025 (hacked and leaked by the Handala group), accessed 25 October 2026. - ↑ Email from Ehud Barak to Jeffrey Epstein, "Re: Monaco? Paris? Meetings", 29 April 2016, file
ehbarak1@gmail.com/Inbox/0000000546-Re_ Monaco_ Paris_ Meetings.html, Ehud Barak emails, Distributed Denial of Secrets, released 27 August 2025 (hacked and leaked by the Handala group), accessed 25 October 2026. - ↑ Extracted calendar items from a device seized from Jeffrey Epstein (Evidence ID NYC024328), entry for 29 April 2016, EFTA00506434, US Department of Justice, Epstein Files release, Data Set 9, copy at tommycarstensen.com/epstein, accessed 25 October 2026.