The News
The US is expelling South Africa’s ambassador to Washington, Pretoria confirmed Saturday.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Ebrahim Rasool of being a “a “race-baiting politician” who hates the US and President Donald Trump, saying he is no longer welcome. He was given 72 hours to leave the country, according to South African media.
The South African president’s office “noted the regrettable expulsion” and urged those involved to “maintain the established diplomatic decorum in their engagement with the matter.”
Semafor first reported this week that Rasool, a veteran diplomat who also served as ambassador during the Obama administration, was struggling to secure crucial meetings in Washington. He is likely to have been frozen out for his prior vocal criticism of Israel, a South African diplomat told Semafor; Rasool is widely considered to be among the government’s most ardent pro-Palestine voices.
The final decision to expel Rasool seems to have been triggered by an appearance by the ambassador on a panel in Johannesburg earlier this week where he spoke suggesting Trump is leading a “supremacist” movement disrupting established norms.
His expulsion is likely to further strain ties between the two countries; relations have rapidly deteriorated since Trump returned to the White House.