The U.S. special envoy to Syria and Turkey retracted previous remarks suggesting Israel’s continued occupation of the Golan Heights, which conflicted with President Donald Trump’s stance on the disputed territory.
Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Middle East conflict and annexed it in 1981. The United Nations and most global countries reject Israel’s annexation, deeming it occupied Syrian territory.
In 2019, Trump unilaterally acknowledged Israeli sovereignty over the region, reversing decades of U.S. foreign policy.
Ambassador Tom Barrack previously stated in an interview that Israel “still” occupies the area, during a conversation with Lebanese-Australian entrepreneur Mario Nawfal.
Barrack clarified that his earlier statement reflected the territory’s historical status and not an endorsement of the UN position.
He asserted that U.S. policy, established by Trump in 2019, remains unchanged, as confirmed in a statement to the Associated Press.
Barrack explained his remarks aimed to highlight the non-annexation outlook in Lebanon, following Israel’s recent incursions, and to emphasize that negotiated agreements, not territorial boundaries, offer lasting stability. He used the Golan Heights as an example to illustrate that territories acquired by force remain contested for generations.
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