Katz Rebukes Barrack Over Syria Strike and 2019 Golan Policy

3 articles · Updated · The Jerusalem Post · Aug 23

Katz issued a rare Shabbat statement accusing US envoy Tom Barrack of “inaccuracies” after Barrack questioned Israel’s intelligence and suggested last week’s strike on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur base may have been politically motivated.
Israel said it had clear intelligence that Turkey planned moves at the site that would threaten Israeli security, warned the Syrian regime and shared the intelligence with US officials before authorizing the attack.
Barrack had also said Israel occupied the Golan Heights against UN resolutions, clashing with Donald Trump’s 2019 recognition of Israeli sovereignty there, and argued Ankara was not seeking an adversarial relationship with Israel.
The public clash matters because Barrack is both US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria and Iraq, roles that require him to calm Israel-Turkey tensions and help mediate regional security arrangements.
Katz’s unusually timed response signals broader Israeli doubts about Barrack’s neutrality, extending criticism that had already surfaced over his earlier approach to Hezbollah and Iran in Lebanon.