WASHINGTON – US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, who is also President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Syria, laid out a sweeping vision for the Middle East, discussing Syria’s, Turkey’s, and Israel’s role in it in an exclusive interview at The Jerusalem Post’s Washington Conference on Wednesday.
Much of Barrack’s mission revolves around Syria, where he has been leading US efforts to broker a security and border arrangement between Jerusalem and Damascus.
“I thought we were much closer until I read the Israeli press,” he said. “Look, we’re going to get there.”
The talks have produced cautious but significant progress, he added.
Barrack said Syria was fundamentally disinterested in aggression toward Israel, consumed instead by threats from ISIS, foreign fighters, and Iranian proxies. With help from Turkish intelligence, the US and Syria have jointly taken out nine Hezbollah cells and several ISIS factions in recent weeks, he said.
“Not long ago, Syria joining the anti-ISIS coalition was unthinkable,” he added.
An updated disengagement structure between Israel and Syria, similar to the 1974 deal, would be feasible, Barrack said.
'Israel doesn't trust anyone'
Israel was no longer seeking a simple territorial withdrawal, but rather a patterned utilization model resembling the follow-up to the US secretary of state Henry Kissinger’s agreements with Egypt: limited weapons zones, airspace arrangements, and verifiable stages of demilitarization, he said.
“After October 7, Israel doesn’t trust anyone,” he added. “That’s why we’ve offered to serve as a peacekeeping force. Verification replaces trust.”
Israel sees Syria as “the softest play” in its security landscape, Barrack said. Unlike Lebanon, Syria no longer hosts an irregular, Hezbollah-like army, he said.
“Syria is taking out ISIS and IRGC assets every day,” he added. “This is the single best opportunity for Israel to show the world a stabilizing hand while choking Iran financially.”
Another area of focus is the thawing of relations between Ankara and Jerusalem, Barrack said. Israel has publicly opposed Turkish participation in the proposed multinational force in a postwar Gaza, fearing Ankara’s close ties with Hamas, he said, but the US still sees a role for Turkey’s military on the ground.
“Turkey and Qatar were essential in negotiating the ceasefire and securing hostages, because they kept communication channels open,” he added. So, Turkey’s large, experienced ground force, along with its established dialogue with multiple actors, “could help cool the temperature.”
Barrack acknowledged Jerusalem’s distrust of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but he insisted Ankara harbors no aggressive intent toward Israel.
From an Israeli standpoint, however, Turkey’s domestic realities – 50% inflation, a battered currency, and political pressure – leave little appetite for neo-Ottoman adventurism, he added.
Barrack dismissed what he called sensational narratives that appear in both countries’ media.
“In Turkey, they say Israel wants to stretch from Venice to Dubai,” he said. “In Israel, they say Erdogan wants to rebuild the Ottoman Empire. Both notions are nonsense.”
Despite political tensions, Barrack insisted a path exists toward meaningful normalization between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Erdogan.
“It just makes too much strategic sense,” he said.
Connecting the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea through Turkey and Israel would transform regional commerce and reduce dependence on Iranian corridors, Barrack said.
“There’s only one real obstacle, and that’s Iran,” he said.
Regarding the stalled sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, Barrack said Israel was fiercely opposed to it, adding that the issue is beyond the scope of his authority.
“That debate is a long way off,” he said.
Throughout the interview, Barrack cited Trump’s “moment” in the region, referring to his ability, as he described it, to act boldly without hidden agendas.
Furthermore, he praised the team leading the various diplomatic tracks in the region: Jared Kushner, US envoy Steve Witkoff, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In particular, Barrack said Rubio was “the safest set of hands we’ve ever had.”
“Event-driven diplomacy is what Trump empowered – not endless architectural processes, but actual movement,” he said, citing the Abraham Accords as evidence that prosperity is the fastest way to ease grievances, an approach that could be extended to Syria.
The region sits at a crossroads, Barrack said. The tribal realities of the Middle East make grand nation-building theories ineffective, and what works is calibrated power, a strengthened economy, and mutually beneficial arrangements that defuse conflicts, he said.
“Syria has no alternative path, and neither does Israel if it wants to avoid perpetual military confrontation on every border,” he added.
Barrack said he believes the right combination of Sinai-style demilitarization, Jordan-style commitments, and strong anti-Hezbollah provisions can finally anchor a durable understanding between the two longtime enemies.
“This is the moment,” he said. “If we don’t capitalize on it, we may not get another chance.”