US envoy walks back Golan Heights remarks that contradicted Trump’s position

US special envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkiye Tom Barrack on Sunday walked back remarks he made two days earlier, in which he said Israel “continues” to occupy the Golan Heights in violation of United Nations resolutions. The remarks contradicted US President Donald Trump’s position on the disputed territory.

Israel seized the Syrian Golan Heights during the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in 1981. The United Nations and most of the international community regard the area as occupied Syrian territory and do not recognise Israel’s annexation.

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In 2019, Trump recognised Israeli sovereignty over the territory, reversing decades of US policy.

On Friday, Ambassador Barrack said Israel “still “occupies the territory during an interview with Lebanese-Australian businessman Mario Nawfal.

Barrack now says the remark was a description of the territory’s historical status, “not an endorsement of the UN position” on the Golan Heights.

In a statement on Sunday, he said: “US policy on the Golan was set by President Trump in 2019 and has not changed.”

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