U.S. President Donald Trump froze all American aid to South Africa over what he falsely claimed were rights violations stemming from a new land-expropriation law, as well as its allegations of genocide against Israel.
South Africa¡¯s Foreign Ministry expressed ¡°great concern that the foundational premise of this order lacks factual accuracy,¡± in a statement Saturday. It reiterated the government¡¯s commitment to finding ¡°diplomatic solutions to any misunderstandings.¡±
Trump¡¯s executive order on Friday evening halting assistance escalates a standoff in which South Africa has sought to respond with diplomacy, while maintaining the moral high ground in a nation still scarred by the racist legacy of White-minority rule. The U.S. has given South Africa more than $8 billion in bilateral aid over the past two decades.
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