JOHANNESBURG: South Africa on Friday declared Israel’s top diplomat in Pretoria persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country within 72 hours, sharply escalating diplomatic tensions that are already straining Pretoria’s relations with Washington.
Israel responded swiftly, announcing the expulsion of South Africa’s senior diplomatic representative, Minister Shaun Edward Byneveldt, and giving him the same deadline to depart.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated since South Africa filed a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice over its military campaign in Gaza, an accusation Israel has rejected as unfounded. The case has also fueled U.S. President Donald Trump’s criticism of Pretoria, including verbal rebukes, trade sanctions, and an executive order last year halting all U.S. funding.
South Africa’s foreign ministry said Israeli chargé d’affaires Ariel Seidman was ordered to leave due to “unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms,” including allegedly insulting President Cyril Ramaphosa on social media and failing to notify authorities about visits by senior Israeli officials.
While the ministry did not cite specific posts, attention has focused on a November message from the Israeli embassy’s X account that read: “A rare moment of wisdom and diplomatic clarity from President Ramaphosa.”
Israel’s foreign ministry said its decision to expel South Africa’s representative was taken in response to what it called Pretoria’s “false attacks against Israel in the international arena” and its “unilateral, baseless” move against Israel’s chargé d’affaires.
In 2023, South African lawmakers voted to close Israel’s embassy in Pretoria and suspend diplomatic ties over the Gaza war, but the measure was never implemented.
“We hope the Israeli embassy will engage with us in a respectful manner and send someone who upholds diplomacy,” said Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for South Africa’s foreign ministry, speaking to Newzroom Afrika.
-Alexander Parakozov
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