President-elect Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress are preparing to demand changes to South Africa's foreign policy in return for continued trade preferences from the United States.
fox news reported Thursday:
Key Republican lawmakers are already pressuring the incoming Trump administration to kick South Africa out of lucrative trade deals if the South African government does not change its stance on Russia, China, Iran and Israel.
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South Africa will participate in exercises involving Russian military aircraft and naval vessels, and will make its naval base in Pretoria available to the Kremlin and Russia's sanctioned warships. South African military officials received training in Moscow. South Africa has refused to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations.
South Africa's majority ANC party has been in talks with the terrorist organization Hamas, and one branch of the ANC recently supported a local Muslim leader, who reportedly faced cheering crowds. “I am Hamas, Cape Town is Hamas, Viva Hamas!” he reportedly shouted. The government also issued a statement condemning this year's killing of Hamas leaders. Ismail Haniya. The country's foreign minister, Ronald Lamola, opposed the “assassination” of the designated terrorist leader, saying “such extrajudicial killings violate international law.”
Additionally, South Africa led a lawsuit accusing Israel of “genocide” at the United Nations' International Court of Justice.
As Breitbart News pointed out, the Trump administration has extraordinary influence over South Africa, not only because South Africa is its most important trading partner, but also because African growth benefits South Africa. This is also because the Opportunity Act (AGOA) has been enacted. Furthermore, President-elect Donald Trump is likely to visit South Africa for the G20 meeting next November, but there is a possibility that he may withdraw his participation.
South Africa has returned former ambassador Ebrahim Rasul to Washington despite his history of supporting Islamic extremists in their fight against Israel. He is seen as a moderate and has argued that South Africa should let go of its “megaphone” over the Middle East, at least until it secures renewal of AGOA.
South Africa may be hoping that U.S. philanthropy will continue under the Trump administration as it did under Joe Biden, but the winds of change are blowing.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. he is the author of Agenda: What should President Trump do in his first 100 days?available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of Trumpian Virtues: Lessons and Legacy of the Donald Trump Presidencynow available on Audible. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
