U.S. Special Envoy to Syria and Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack clarified his recent comments regarding the Golan Heights, which had appeared to contradict President Donald Trump's stance on the territory.
In a statement to The Associated Press on Sunday, Barrack asserted that his Friday remarks, where he stated Israel "still” occupies the Golan Heights, were intended to describe the territory's historical status and not to endorse the United Nations' position. "United States policy on the Golan was set by President Trump in 2019 and is unchanged,” he said.
Barrack explained that his intention during an interview with entrepreneur Mario Nawfal was to discuss why he did not anticipate annexation in Lebanon, citing the Golan Heights as an example that "territory taken by force remains contested for generations." He also criticized Israel's strikes on an airbase in northern Syria earlier that week, which he suggested were politically motivated. Israeli officials defended the strikes, stating they were based on intelligence and necessary to prevent Turkey from establishing a presence in Syria.
The ambassador's initial comments had drawn criticism in Washington, with Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott writing on X that Barrack seemed to have "forgotten" Trump's recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the territory in 2019. This move by Trump reversed decades of U.S. policy regarding the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed in 1981. The United Nations and most of the international community consider the territory occupied Syrian land and do not recognize Israel's annexation.
Barrack also addressed remarks he made concerning negotiations between Israel and Lebanon. He had noted the absence of Hezbollah and Iran from the negotiating table, leading to speculation that he suggested their inclusion. Barrack clarified on Sunday that he was highlighting the complicating factor of Iranian support and financing for Hezbollah's weapons, not proposing direct U.S. negotiation with the designated foreign terrorist organization. "Hezbollah is a designated foreign terrorist organization. We do not negotiate with it, and nothing I said suggests otherwise,” he told the AP.