While Washington is primarily focused on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit and address to Congress this week, another side of the global conflagration around Israel’s war of self-defense against Hamas is also playing out in DC. A delegation from South Africa is taking part in the 2024 African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum and reportedly plans to use the trip as an opportunity to push back on efforts in Congress to initiate a review of the U.S.-South Africa bilateral relationship. Trade Minister Parks Tau has his work cut out for him.
Late last year, South Africa’s previous African National Congress (ANC)-led government filed a baseless case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of genocide for going to war against Hamas after the October 7 massacre. Nearly 120 hostages remain held by Hamas in Gaza, including eight Americans, yet South Africa has refused to use its relationships with Iran and Hamas to work toward their unconditional release. Moreover, with South Africa’s growing alignment with China, Iran, and Russia and the long-standing ANC relationship with Hamas, the U.S.-South Africa relationship faces serious challenges.
Russia and China have made substantial economic and military inroads with South Africa in recent years. In August 2023, South Africa hosted the 2023 BRICS summit in Johannesburg to deepen ties with China and Russia. In February 2023, South Africa’s military held joint naval drills with Russia and China on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s re-invasion of Ukraine and reportedly supplied Russia with weapons. In 2022, the ANC’s youth wing endorsed and sent observers to Russia’s sham referendums in occupied parts of Ukraine.
On October 22, then South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor met with then Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and then Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran, where the Iranians falsely accused Israel of war crimes. Just two months later, South Africa accused Israel of genocide at the ICJ, raising questions about cooperation between the South African government and the Islamic Republic. South Africa has helped Tehran evade U.S. sanctions for many years.
On October 17, just 10 days after the attack on Israel, Pandor spoke by telephone with Ismail Haniyeh, the chairman of Hamas’s political bureau. Pandor claimed that the two discussed getting humanitarian aid into Gaza, but Hamas said that Pandor offered her congratulations for the October 7 massacre.
The relationship between the ANC and Hamas predates October 7. South Africa is one of a handful of countries, along with Iran and Qatar, to regularly host a Hamas representative. The ANC and Hamas signed their first memorandum of understanding in 2015, with the ANC pledging to support Hamas’s “struggle for the liberation of Palestine.” There are also credible reports that organizations in South Africa serve as fronts for a Hamas fundraising network.
Given the growing divergence between South Africa’s foreign policy decisions and U.S. interests, bipartisan frustration has mounted in Congress. Reps. John James (R-MI) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) introduced legislation on February 6 that calls for the president to undertake a review of the U.S.-South Africa bilateral relationship. On June 12, the House voted 272-144 to adopt the proposal as an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act.
In South Africa’s election on May 29, the ANC received its lowest-ever vote share and fell short of a majority in South Africa’s parliament. While the ANC entered a Government of National Unity (GNU) with the Democratic Alliance and other former opposition parties, South Africa’s foreign policy is unlikely to change under the GNU. The ANC continues to control the presidency, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, which are key posts that guide the country’s foreign policy. Notably, South Africa’s new foreign minister, Ronald Lamola, was minister of justice when South Africa filed its baseless ICJ case.
As Congress moves to reauthorize AGOA and evaluate the U.S. relationship with South Africa, it should press the GNU to change course. The ANC should abandon its historical support for Hamas, and the GNU must advocate for the unconditional release of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Otherwise, a full U.S. review of the bilateral relationship is not only warranted but also long overdue.
Connor Pfeiffer is director of congressional relations at FDD Action. Toby Dershowitz is the managing director at FDD Action. FDD Action is a non-partisan 501(c)(4) organization established to advocate for effective policies to promote U.S. national security and defend free nations. David May is a research manager and senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). Follow Connor, Toby, and David on X @ConnorPfeiffer, @TobyDersh, and @DavidSamuelMay.