United States Ambassador to Turkiye Tom Barrack has officially retracted recent remarks in which he characterized the Golan Heights as being occupied in violation of international norms. The envoy, who also serves as the US representative for Syria, issued a statement on Sunday clarifying that Washington’s stance on the territory remains unchanged from the policy established by President Donald Trump in 2019.
The controversy began during a Friday interview with podcaster Mario Nawfal. When questioned about potential Israeli territorial ambitions in southern Lebanon, Barrack contrasted the situation with the Golan Heights. He stated that Israel currently occupies the Golan in opposition to UN resolutions and “all of the international order,” which maintains that the region is Syrian land.
Israel seized the Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War and formally annexed the area in 1981. For decades, the international community did not recognize this annexation. This changed in 2019 when the Trump administration officially backed Israel’s claim, a move that prompted widespread global criticism. Legal experts have frequently argued that this recognition undermines the post-World War II prohibition against the acquisition of territory through military force.
Despite the change in administration, the policy regarding the Golan remained intact during the four-year term of former President Joe Biden. Recently, the right-wing government of Colombia became one of the few nations to join the United States in supporting Israel’s sovereignty over the region.
Following his comments on the podcast, Barrack faced immediate backlash from staunch supporters of Israel. Far-right commentator Laura Loomer publicly demanded his resignation, accusing him of failing to understand US foreign policy. She shared a copy of the 2019 presidential proclamation to emphasize her point.
Republican Senator Rick Scott also weighed in, suggesting that the ambassador had failed to conduct proper research. In a social media post, Scott asserted that President Trump has been consistently clear regarding Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, adding that Barrack was confirmed by the Senate specifically to advance the Trump administration’s agenda.
Beyond the Golan issue, Barrack had previously drawn scrutiny for his criticism of Israeli air strikes conducted against a Syrian airbase last week. During the same interview with Nawfal, the ambassador speculated that the Israeli military actions were designed to provoke Turkiye, which maintains an alliance with the Syrian government.
Barrack suggested that these strikes might be viewed as an aggressive, albeit potentially popular, political maneuver ahead of the US midterm elections scheduled for November. His retraction on Sunday serves to realign his public statements with the established diplomatic position of the United States. The report also notes that “United States policy on the Golan was set by President Trump in 2019 and is unchanged,” he told The Associated Press news agency in a statement. The report also notes that barrack was asked whether Israel has plans to annex parts of southern Lebanon.