JOHANNESBURG — South Africa declared the top diplomat at Israel’s embassy persona non grata on Friday and ordered him out of the country within 72 hours, for what it called repeated violations of diplomatic norms, including insulting President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The South African Foreign Ministry accused embassy chargé d’affaires Ariel Seidman of “unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice which pose a direct challenge to South Africa’s sovereignty.
“These violations include the repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to launch insulting attacks” on Ramaphosa, as well as a “deliberate failure” to notify the South African authorities about visits by senior Israeli officials.
In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar decided on a reciprocal move, ordering South Africa’s ambassador in Ramallah, Shaun Edward Byneeldt, to “leave Israel” within 72 hours, and declaring him “persona non grata,” according to a Foreign Ministry statement.
South Africa has not had an ambassador to Israel for years, and further downgraded diplomatic ties after the start of the war in Gaza in 2023. It has long been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party often linking it to its own struggle against apartheid.
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The nation has in recent years become one of Israel’s most vituperative critics, calling the Jewish nation an “apartheid state” and in 2023 filed a charge of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice over Israel’s war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza.
Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa to the Netherlands, Vusimuzi Madonsela, waits for judges to enter the International Court of Justice, or World Court, in The Hague, Netherlands, May 24, 2024 (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
It has also warned its citizens who have fought in the IDF could be prosecuted if they return.
Ariel Seidman (Israel MFA)
Israel strongly rejects allegations of genocide in the war that began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas led a devastating cross-border assault, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
The decision to expel Siedman is likely to provoke a strong reaction from the United States, a close Israeli ally.
The Trump administration has accused South Africa of having an anti-American foreign policy over its court case against Israel, and South Africa’s apparent support for the Palestinian cause has been at the center of a major diplomatic fallout with Washington since US President Donald Trump returned to office.
AP and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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