Nigeria, Dec. 29 -- Conman, convict, paedophile and a life terminated in circumstances of purported suicide. The list for Jeffrey E. Epstein, figure of cosmic social and political influence in the United States, is long. Trafficking in female flesh for hisextensive client list, lubricated by his lover Ghislaine Maxwell, tends to be the crowning feature of most discussions about his sordid legacy. Another shrouded aspect has been neglected.

The fuss about releasing the Epstein files - the slowness with which the US Justice Department is undertaking that task, the erratic nature of its redactions, and what gold nuggets might be found - gives us a chance to examine the Israeli dimension in US politics. In November, Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hu...