The White House pushes to lift ‘most severe’ Syria sanctions
US press reports indicate that the White House is intensifying its pressure on Congress to repeal the remaining sanctions imposed on Syria under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, which is among the toughest sanctions Washington has imposed on Damascus.
US President Donald Trump had lifted a large portion of the sanctions through executive orders, but the most severe sanctions—those that isolated Syria from the global financial system—can only be lifted by a congressional resolution.
According to a senior congressional official as saying that White House, State Department, and Treasury Department officials had made it clear to lawmakers that the US administration’s official position was to completely repeal the Caesar Act.
Another source added that US envoy Tom Barrack made phone calls to a number of senior Republicans to urge them to support the move.
The report stated that the efforts to repeal the sanctions brought together a rare bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, including Senator Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat, New Hampshire) and Representative Joe Wilson (R-South Carolina), two of the most prominent supporters of repealing the law.
In contrast, pro-Israel organizations oppose this approach, warning that lifting sanctions on Syria could pose a strategic threat to Israel and a number of minorities in the region.
Informed sources reported that prominent Israeli figures, including Ron Dermer, a close advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, participated in communicating with US lawmakers to urge them to maintain the sanctions.
