US Envoy Barrack Says Israel Still Occupies Golan, Defying Trump’s 2019 Recognition
Updated
Updated · Middle East Eye · Aug 22
US Envoy Barrack Says Israel Still Occupies Golan, Defying Trump’s 2019 Recognition
3 articles · Updated · Middle East Eye · Aug 22
Summary
Tom Barrack said Israel still occupies Syria’s Golan Heights “against the UN resolutions” and international law, directly clashing with Washington’s 2019 recognition of Israeli sovereignty.
In the same interview, Barrack argued Israel is unlikely to annex Lebanese territory because US support is waning and upcoming Israeli elections could change the political setting.
Barrack also warned Israel’s strike on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur airbase risked a direct clash with Turkey, saying one likely trigger was intercepted talk of Turkish training expansion there.
He floated a more explosive possibility that Israel was “baiting the Turks,” adding that misaligned decisions among Israel’s military, Mossad and prime minister’s office could make a mistake highly consequential.
The Golan, captured by Israel in 1967 and annexed in 1981, remains internationally unrecognized as Israeli territory; about 20,000 settlers live there alongside roughly 26,000 mostly Druze native residents.