U.S. envoy calls Golan Heights Israeli occupation

U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack described Israel as occupying the Golan Heights in remarks that appear to contradict the official U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the territory. Speaking in a Friday interview, Barrack said, "In the Golan with Syria they still occupy the Golan against the United Nations resolutions, against all of the international order which has said the Golan is Syria's."

The comments put the senior envoy, who also serves as the U.S. special envoy for Syria, at odds with a signature policy of President Donald Trump's administration. In 2019, Trump signed a proclamation formally recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, declaring them part of Israel. That recognition has not been rescinded. Israel captured the strategic plateau from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981, a move not widely recognized internationally until the U.S. declaration. Earlier in August, Colombia became only the second country after the U.S. to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz responded to Barrack's remarks, stating they contained inaccuracies and positions that contradict President...