US envoy walks back Golan remarks: Trump's policy remains unchanged
US envoy Tom Barrack walks back remarks that Israel “still" occupies the Golan Heights, stressing that Trump's 2019 recognition remains US policy.
US special envoy Ambassador Tom Barrack clarified his earlier comments on the Golan Heights on Sunday, distancing himself from assertions that Israel still occupies the territory. His initial remarks contradicted President Donald Trump’s stance and the international consensus that the Golan Heights remains occupied Syrian land. Israel seized the land during the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in 1981; however, the UN and most nations consider it occupied Syrian territory.
Barrack initially stated that Israel "still" occupies the Golan in an interview with Lebanese-Australian entrepreneur Mario Nawfal, later clarifying that this was a historical description rather than an endorsement of the UN's position. He emphasized that US policy on the Golan, set by Trump in 2019, remains unchanged. Barrack now intends to address the ongoing Israeli occupation in Lebanon and argue that negotiated agreements are more sustainable than disputed maps, using the Golan as an example of territories that remain contested due to forceful acquisition.
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