US concerned over South Africa's growing ties with Russia, Iran and Hamas: 'Fallen' for propaganda

South Africa’s support for the Palestinian cause is the culmination of a confused and increasingly troubling diplomatic trend for a country with whom the U.S. now questions its bilateral cooperation, critics have claimed.

"The South African government has fallen hook, line and sinker for Russian propaganda," Peter Doran, an adjunct senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and former president of the Center for European Policy Analysis, told Fox News Digital.

"Russia has proposed to all African countries that the United States and Western powers are colonialists, whose interests are not aligned with theirs, whereas Russia and China are benign benefactors and friends in the world," Doran said.

"The truth is that Russia stands as the 20th century's worst colonial power. Russia has hidden that, and it doesn't present that part of its history to South Africa, and so many African countries, especially South Africa, have fallen for Russian propaganda about colonialism," he added.

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Congress passed the Bilateral Relations Review Act in February, mandating President Biden to determine "whether South Africa has engaged in activities that undermine United States national security or foreign policy interests" within 30 days of enactment. Rep. John James, R-Mich., introduced the bill after growing "greatly concerned with South Africa’s alignment with China and Russia and embracement of Hamas."

"It is important to show the South African people that the United States is paying attention, and I am proud that the committee passed this bipartisan legislation," James said.

The bill also requires the administration to "comprehensively review the bilateral