Biden quietly approved South Africa’s pro-Hamas envoy. Trump should fire him.

“I do not recognize Israel as ‘Jewish.’”

“Iran is not our enemy.”

These are the words of South Africa’s new ambassador to Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, who quietly presented his diplomatic credentials to then-President Joe Biden earlier this month. As an emissary of the country’s African National Congress, Rasool has long supported the terrorist group Hamas, defended Iran and strengthened South Africa’s ties with Russia.

Biden should have never allowed Rasool to enter the country, let alone approve his service as ambassador. President Trump should correct Biden’s mistake and demonstrate that the ANC’s brand of anti-Western foreign policy — one that embraces Russia, China, Iran and Hamas — will no longer be tolerated.

Trump should rebuke the ANC by cutting off Rasool and swiftly revoking his credentials — or at the very least encouraging Rasool to step down on his own accord. In other words, Rasool should get the full Trump treatment and be told in no uncertain terms: “You’re fired.”

Rasool’s track record represents all that is wrong with South Africa’s foreign policy under the ANC. He has hosted senior Hamas operatives. He has reportedly praised Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin as “one of the greatest inspirations.” Just two weeks before the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terror attack against Israel, Rasool gloated about receiving a signed keffiyeh from the group’s former political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, whom Israel assassinated last July.

More recently, Rasool chaired South Africa’s state-owned Development Bank of Southern Africa, which has been a key partner in supporting the anti-Western BRICS framework and increasing ties between South Africa and Russia’s largely sanctioned financial system.

Rasool represented the corrupt government of former South African President Jacob Zuma in the U.S. from 2010 through 2015, so he is no stranger to Washington. But his values are increasingly at odds with our own. Under ANC leadership, South Africa has hosted Russian and Chinese warships for joint naval drills; welcomed a sanctioned Russian military-linked vessel; and supported Iran’s inclusion in BRICS. These actions serve authoritarian interests but do nothing to meet the needs ordinary South Africans.

Rasool’s nomination ultimately underscores the ANC’s growing disconnect from the needs of its own citizens. South Africa faces staggering unemployment, a water crisis and widespread corruption. At a time when South Africa should be working to rebuild its economy and restore its international credibility, the ANC has chosen to send a figure whose record reflects hostility toward democracy and the West.

Although the Biden administration appeared to look the other way on South Africa, Congress has not. Lawmakers, including Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch (R-Idaho), are questioning South Africa’s participation in the African Growth and Opportunity Act, a key regional trade program that is up for renewal this year. Others have called for a comprehensive review of South Africa’s defense cooperation with the likes of China, Russia and Iran. Rasool’s appointment only heightens these concerns and could push South Africa closer to economic isolation.

By rejecting Rasool, Trump has a rare chance to combat the ANC’s toxic foreign policy while affirming America’s commitment to a better future for South Africa. The ANC’s declining majority has opened the door to more pro-Western voices — those who want to rebuild the country’s economy, fight corruption and forge stronger ties with the West.

By standing firm against Rasool, Trump would be standing with the South Africans who oppose their government’s growing alliances with terrorists, dictators and enemies of global stability. Above all else, he would send an unmistakable message that malign foreign policies will no longer be met with silence or appeasement — they will be met with real consequences from the start.

Max Meizlish is a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Richard Goldberg is a senior advisor.

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