US Envoy Clarifies Golan Remarks After Backlash in Washington
US envoy Tom Barrack walks back remarks on Golan Heights, reaffirming Trump-era policy after criticism.
The US special envoy for Syria and ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, has clarified comments he made on Friday regarding the Golan Heights, saying his remarks were a description of the territory's historical status and not a change in American policy.
In an interview, Barrack had said Israel "still" occupies the Golan Heights in violation of UN resolutions. The territory was captured by Israel from Syria in the 1967 war and annexed in 1981, a move not recognized by the UN or most of the international community. In 2019, President Donald Trump reversed decades of US policy by recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the area.
Following criticism, including from Florida Senator Rick Scott, Barrack issued a statement on Sunday saying, "United States policy on the Golan was set by President Trump in 2019 and is unchanged." He explained that he had cited the Golan as an example of how "territory taken by force remains contested for generations" while discussing negotiations in Lebanon.
Barrack also addressed speculation stemming from his comment that "two people are missing from that table – Hezbollah and Iran." He stressed that the US does not negotiate with Hezbollah, a designated foreign terrorist organization, and that he was highlighting the difficulty of the problem, not proposing a new negotiating framework.
The clarification comes amid heightened tensions between Israel and Turkey over influence in Syria following the fall of Bashar Assad. Israeli strikes on an airbase in northern Syria last week, which Israel said were aimed at preventing a Turkish presence, have drawn criticism and defense from Israeli officials.