US envoy Tom Barrack retracts comment that Syria’s Golan is occupied
US Ambassador to Turkiye Tom Barrack has retracted his recent suggestion that the Golan Heights is occupied Syrian territory. He reaffirmed that the United States maintains its 2019 policy recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the region.
Why it matters
The statement clarifies that US foreign policy regarding the Golan Heights remains unchanged despite recent diplomatic confusion, maintaining a controversial stance that deviates from international consensus.
Ambassador to Turkiye says US policy of recognising Israel’s claimed sovereignty over Syrian territory is ‘unchanged’.
x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info Pro-Israel advocates criticised Tom Barrack for saying the UN considers the Golan to be Syrian territory [File: Evan Vucci/AP Photo] By Al Jazeera Staff Published On 23 Aug 2026 23 Aug 2026 United States Ambassador Tom Barrack has reasserted Washington’s position that Syria’s Golan Heights belongs to Israel after saying last week that the territory is occupied against “all of the international order”.
US President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Turkiye and envoy for Syria walked back that comment on Sunday, underscoring Trump’s policy of recognising Israel’s claimed sovereignty over the stretch of land in southern Syria.
“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.
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