**South African Ambassador to the U.S., Ebrahim Rasool, Highlighted Possessing Hamas Leader’s Autograph**

 South African Ambassador to the U.S., Ebrahim Rasool, Celebrated Keffiyeh Signed by Hamas Leader

Ebrahim Rasool, South Africa’s ambassador to the U.S., shared last year that he possessed a keffiyeh signed by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

On September 23, 2023, just weeks before the October 7 Hamas attacks, Rasool posted on Facebook about his collection of three scarves, each with significant historical and political connections:

• One was a gift from Yasser Arafat in 1990, marking a reunion with Nelson Mandela in Cairo after over 30 years.
• Another was presented by Shaykh Raed Salah, an Islamist leader of Palestinians in Israel, during a dinner Rasool hosted at Leeuwenhof, the Western Cape governor’s mansion.
• The third, signed by Ismail Haniyeh, was given to Rasool as part of an engagement with Hamas through the ITI program, aimed at sharing strategies against Arab normalization, Israeli occupation, and U.S. policies.

The post highlighted Rasool’s personal connections with controversial figures and his support for causes opposing Israeli and U.S. actions in the region.

**South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool's Links to Extremist Figures Draw Scrutiny**  

South African Ambassador to the U.S., Ebrahim Rasool, has faced criticism over his connections with controversial Islamist figures and groups. Rasool previously boasted about owning a keffiyeh signed by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in an operation in Tehran, Iran, in July, with Israel claiming responsibility.  

In a Facebook post on September 23, 2023, Rasool also mentioned receiving a scarf from Shaykh Raed Salah, describing him incorrectly as the leader of "Palestinians in Israel." Salah is, in fact, the leader of a banned radical Islamist movement and not representative of the broader Palestinian community within Israel.  

The Middle East Forum has documented Rasool’s history of engaging with extremist Islamic groups. While regarded as a moderate within South African politics, Rasool has courted the support of radicals opposed to Israel's existence.  

Rasool previously served as South Africa's ambassador to the U.S. during the Obama administration and was recently reappointed to the role. His connections to extremist figures have reignited concerns about his political affiliations and the implications for his diplomatic position.

Rasool said earlier this month that given the imminent return of Donald Trump, South Africa should “put away the megaphone” on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — but without abandoning the substance of its anti-Israel positions.