BEIRUT (AP) 鈥� The U.S. special envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkey on Sunday that Israel “still鈥� occupies the Golan Heights in violation of U.N. resolutions, remarks that went against U.S. President ‘s position on the disputed territory.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in 1981. The United Nations and most of the international community consider the territory occupied Syrian land and does not recognize Israel鈥檚 annexation of it.
In 2019, Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty over the territory, reversing decades of U.S. policy.
Ambassador Tom Barrack on Friday said that Israel 鈥渟till鈥� occupies the territory in an interview with Lebanese-Australian entrepreneur Mario Nawfal.
Barrack now says that was a description of the territory鈥檚 historical status, 鈥渘ot an endorsement of the United Nations鈥� position鈥� on the Golan.
“United States policy on the Golan was set by President Trump in 2019 and is unchanged,鈥� he said in a statement to The Associated Press on Sunday.
He said he intended to explain why he does not anticipate annexation in Lebanon, where Israeli forces are occupying parts of the south after the latest Israel-Hezbollah war, and to argue that negotiated agreements, rather than territorial maps, are more durable and that he had cited the Golan as an example that 鈥渢erritory taken by force remains contested for generations.鈥�
In the Friday interview, Barrack had also criticized Israel鈥檚 strikes on an airbase in northern Syria earlier last week. Israeli officials said the strikes intended to prevent Turkey from establishing a presence at the base.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz defended the strikes, saying on X on Sunday that critics who initially called it 鈥渦nnecessary and politically motivated鈥� changed their position after the government said they were based on 鈥渃lear intelligence鈥� and at the recommendation of the Israeli army. He added that Israel would not allow Turkey 鈥渢o establish itself in Syria and threaten Israeli security.鈥�
The strikes last Tuesday have highlighted growing tensions between Israel and Turkey over Ankara鈥檚 increased influence in Syria following the fall of Bashar Assad. Turkey and Syria have denied that Turkish forces were due to be deployed at the Abu Duhur base.
Barrack鈥檚 comments on the Golan also sparked a backlash in Washington.
Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott wrote on X that the ambassador appears to have 鈥渇orgotten鈥� Trump鈥檚 recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the territory.
Barrack went further on the defensive on Sunday, responding to criticism of his assessment of ongoing negotiations between Israel and Lebanon over Israeli withdrawal and the disarmament of the militant group.
He had said 鈥渢here are two people missing from that (negotiating) table 鈥� Hezbollah and Iran.鈥� That remark prompted speculation Barrack meant Tehran and Hezbollah should join the U.S.-backed negotiations.
On Sunday, Barrack stressed that the U.S. does not negotiate with Hezbollah, but said he was pointing out that 鈥渢he weapons in question are supplied and financed by Iran,” which complicates negotiations over their fate.
鈥淚 was describing the difficulty of the problem, not proposing a new table,鈥� Barrack told the AP. 鈥淗ezbollah is a designated foreign terrorist organization. We do not negotiate with it, and nothing I said suggests otherwise.鈥�
He also defended his remarks questioning who would replace Tehran鈥檚 financial support for Shiite communities in southern Lebanon, saying that raising those questions was 鈥渘ot conferring standing on anyone.鈥�
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