Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., who recently traveled to Syria as part of a congressional delegation, told Newsmax Friday that Israel and the world need to give peace in Syria a chance because in doing so, they will reap the benefits of a stabilized Middle East.
"It was bipartisan, bicameral — the delegation — and this is so exciting," Wilson said on "Wake Up America." "This is a different world. … The endless wars are coming to an end. We saw first in Azerbaijan and Armenia, and then we see in Syria, the socialist government that's been there since 1970 has been overthrown and now, with the leadership of [President] Donald Trump working with our allies Turkey and Saudi Arabia and restoring relationships.
"I mean, we had no relationship with Saudi Arabia, and it was very tenuous with Turkey, but now, we can work and have a government in Syria that is sovereign, which is secure, and the big beneficiary will be the United States because it will stop the ability of terrorism to expand. And also, a big beneficiary is the state of Israel."
In June, Wilson was part of a bipartisan group that introduced legislation to repeal the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019. The act, which imposed sanctions on Syria in response to the now-deposed Assad regime's war crimes, was waived by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in May for 180 days.
But unless Congress permanently repeals the law, it will require waivers every 180 days until it expires in December 2029. Repealing the sanctions will end the economic uncertainty in Syria and give the war-ravaged country an opportunity to recover from years of conflict and also will attract outside investors.
Wilson has been critical of Israel's recent strikes on Syria, calling on the Jewish state to "seize the moment and immediately cease hostilities" in a joint statement and saying in part that a "stable and secure Syria is the only path toward freedom from Iran's reach."
"Over and over again, the president has said it very clear," Wilson added. "He said it with [Israeli] Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu in the White House when they were having that press conference at dinner. Give Syria a chance.
"Look, it's not going to be perfect by any means, but by having a secure Syria and ending the conflicts and the socialist government fleeing to Moscow — how appropriate — it's really hopeful that we can have a possibility of peace unheard of in centuries in the Middle East."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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