Barrack said Israel continues to “occupy” the territory in violation of UN resolutions, language that appeared to conflict directly with Trump administration policy.
By United with Israel Staff
U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack could be facing growing pressure inside the Trump administration, with discussions reportedly underway over whether to recall him to Washington following a series of controversial remarks about Israel.
Conservative activist Laura Loomer reported Monday, citing a source, that Barrack is “on thin ice” with the administration and State Department and that some officials believe he has contributed to the recent escalation in tensions between Israel and Turkey.
Loomer later reported that Barrack had been called back to Washington this week for “consultations,” claiming that some State Department officials want him removed from his post. Her claims about the administration’s internal deliberations have not been independently confirmed.
The reported friction follows Barrack’s criticism of Israel’s Aug. 18 strike on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur Airbase, which Israel said was intended to prevent a Turkish military deployment it considered a threat to its security.
Barrack initially called the strike an “unnecessary escalation” and later suggested that one possible explanation was that Israel had been “baiting the Turks.” He also floated the possibility that the strike was connected to Israeli electoral politics, while stressing that he was presenting theories rather than an intelligence-based conclusion.
Defense Minister Israel Katz hit back, saying Barrack’s remarks were “full of inaccuracies” and accusing him of expressing positions that contradicted President Donald Trump’s policies.
Katz said Israel had warned Syrian officials before striking the airbase in an effort to prevent the Turkish deployment and acted only after its warning went unanswered.
“After the request went unanswered, the prime minister and I authorized the IDF to carry out the strike, and it was carried out successfully,” Katz said. “Erdogan was caught with his hand in the cookie jar and was forced to back down.”
Barrack also drew criticism over separate remarks concerning the Golan Heights. During an interview, he said Israel continues to “occupy” the territory in violation of UN resolutions, language that appeared to conflict directly with Trump administration policy.
Trump formally recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights in 2019 during his first term.
Barrack subsequently walked back the comments, saying he had been referring to the Golan’s historical status and reaffirming that U.S. policy recognizing Israeli sovereignty remained unchanged.
Loomer claimed the State Department was “bombarded with complaints about Barrack all weekend long” following the controversies.
In her subsequent post, she said Barrack had now been summoned to Washington for consultations and quoted an unnamed State Department source as saying, “We want him gone so badly we might hire packers to pack his belongings for him.”
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