US envoy Barrack reverses Golan comments, reaffirms Trump's recognition of Israeli sovereignty

U.S. Special Envoy Tom Barrack has seemingly reversed his recent comments regarding the status of the Golan Heights, reaffirming the United States' long-standing recognition of the territory as Israeli. In a statement to the Associated Press on Sunday, Barrack declared, "United States policy on the Golan was set by President Trump in 2019 and is unchanged."

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United States policy on the Golan was set by President Trump in 2019 and is unchanged.

This assertion directly contradicts remarks Barrack made in an interview on Friday, where he stated that Israel occupies the Golan Heights, referencing UN resolutions that reject its annexation. "They still occupy the Golan against the UN resolutions, against all of the international order, which has said the Golan is Syria’s," Barrack had said, despite the U.S. recognizing the area as Israeli for nearly a decade.

The U.S. officially recognized the Golan Heights as Israeli territory in 2019, a move that followed other pro-Israel actions by the Trump administration, such as recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocating the U.S. embassy there. Syria, however, has never relinquished its claim to the Golan Heights, which Israel captured during the Six-Day War and annexed in 1981. The annexation was subsequently rejected by UN Security Council resolution 497.

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They still occupy the Golan against the UN resolutions, against all of the international order, which has said the Golan is Syria’s.

Barrack's comments came amid heightened tensions, including Israel's recent strike on the Abu al-Duhur military airfield in Idlib, Syria. Barrack condemned the strike as "serious and worrisome" and suggested it might have been politically motivated, potentially aimed at provoking Turkey or influencing upcoming Israeli elections. He also advocated for establishing a deconfliction mechanism between Israel, Turkey, and Syria to prevent further violence.

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serious and worrisome.