Israeli Officials Slam Trump’s Syria Envoy Tom Barrack as ‘Hostile’ 

A senior Israeli official told Walla News on Tuesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu views U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack as openly hostile toward Israel and far too aligned with Turkish interests.

“Barrack is acting like a Turkish ambassador and undermining regional stability,” the official said in an exclusive interview, reflecting deep frustration inside the Prime Minister’s Office just weeks before Netanyahu’s high-stakes December 29 meeting with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

The unusually sharp criticism follows Barrack’s public remarks last week in which he questioned Israel’s democratic model and declared that only “enlightened monarchies” are surviving in the Middle East, comments that landed like a slap in Jerusalem. Israeli officials are particularly furious over Barrack’s repeated push to include Turkey in any future security arrangements for Gaza and southern Syria, including a potential multinational force. Jerusalem insists that Turkish military presence anywhere near its borders is a non-negotiable red line.

Barrack, a longtime Trump confidant who also serves as U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, was appointed Syria envoy in June 2025 and has been leading Washington’s efforts to broker Israel-Syria normalization talks. Despite briefing Netanyahu personally during a July visit, his recent statements have convinced senior Israeli figures that he is prioritizing Ankara’s agenda over Israel’s security needs.

Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on the Walla report.

The public rift comes at a delicate moment, with the White House pressing Israel to move quickly to Phase 2 of the Gaza ceasefire plan and finalize a post-Assad security framework for Syria, issues expected to dominate the Mar-a-Lago summit.