U.S. Ambassador to Ankara and Special Representative for Syria, Tom Barrack, has made statements regarding regional politics and the current situation in the Middle East. He conveyed the U.S. administration's perspective on the objectives of the leadership in Turkey and Israel.
According to Tom Barrack, the U.S. administration does not believe that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan intends to expand the Ottoman Empire. In his opinion, the internal governance of Istanbul and Ankara is sufficiently complex under the current circumstances, which keeps plans for additional regional expansion off the agenda.
The U.S. official stated that the same approach applies to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to him, Israel is currently under significant pressure from all sides, which further complicates the country's security and political agenda.
Tom Barrack emphasized that the "Greater Israel" philosophy and theory can be realized not through geographical expansion, but through trade and prosperity. In his view, the main path to lasting stability in the region lies in economic cooperation and a development model based on mutual interests.