US Envoy Tom Barrack Walks Back Comments on Israel’s Occupation of Golan Heights

Clarification on Golan Heights Remarks

Speaking on Sunday, Ambassador Barrack addressed statements he made two days prior during an interview with Lebanese-Australian entrepreneur Mario Nawfal. In that interview, the diplomat remarked that Israel still occupies the Golan Heights in violation of United Nations resolutions, which conflicted with Washington’s official stance. According to his statement to The Associated Press on Sunday, Barrack explained that his use of the word “still” was intended as a factual description of the territory’s historical status, “not an endorsement of the United Nations’ position” on the Golan. He emphasized that United States policy on the Golan was set by President Trump in 2019 and is unchanged. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Mideast war and subsequently annexed the territory in 1981. While the United Nations and the broader international community continue to view the land as occupied Syrian territory without recognizing the annexation, the United States broke with decades of diplomatic precedent when the Trump administration recognized Israeli sovereignty over the region in 2019.

Diplomatic Intent and Regional Context

Ambassador Barrack stated that his original remarks aimed to address a separate territorial dispute in Lebanon, where Israeli forces currently occupy parts of the south following the recent conflict involving Israel and Hezbollah. He argued that negotiated agreements are more enduring than static territorial maps, citing the Golan as an example to illustrate his view that “territory taken by force remains contested for generations.” The diplomat’s initial interview comments also touched upon ongoing negotiations between Israel and Lebanon concerning a potential Israeli military withdrawal and the disarmament of the militant group. During that discussion, Barrack remarked that there were two people missing from that negotiating table, specifying Hezbollah and Iran, which generated speculation that he was proposing direct talks with Tehran and the militant organization. Clarifying that point on Sunday, Barrack stressed that the United States does not negotiate with Hezbollah. He explained that his observation was meant to highlight how the weapons in question are supplied and financed by Iran, complicating the diplomatic efforts to resolve their fate. “I was describing the difficulty of the problem, not proposing a new table,” Barrack told The Associated Press, adding that Hezbollah remains a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Political Backlash in Washington

The ambassador’s initial remarks drew criticism from lawmakers in Washington. Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott wrote on X that the ambassador appeared to have forgotten President Trump’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. In addition to the Golan controversy, Barrack’s interview also touched upon recent military developments in northern Syria, where he criticized Israeli airstrikes on an airbase last week. Israeli officials defended those strikes, stating they were launched based on clear intelligence to prevent Turkey from establishing a military presence at the Abu Duhur base and threatening Israeli security. Both Turkey and Syria denied that Turkish forces were scheduled to deploy at the facility.