South Africa expels Israel’s top diplomat, gives 72-hour deadline

Pretoria says the Israeli envoy violated diplomatic norms, including attacks on President Ramaphosa

SOUTH AFRICA:

South Africa on Friday declared Israel’s top diplomat in the country persona non grata and ordered him to leave within 72 hours, citing repeated violations of diplomatic norms, including public insults directed at President Cyril Ramaphosa.

In a statement, the South African foreign ministry said Israel’s chargé d’affaires, Ariel Seidman, had committed “a series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice which pose a direct challenge to South Africa’s sovereignty”.

MEDIA STATEMENT

30 January 2026

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation has informed the Government of the State of Israel of its decision to declare Mr. Ariel Seidman, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Israeli Embassy, persona non grata. pic.twitter.com/IINt3ixnCO

— DIRCO South Africa (@DIRCO_ZA) January 30, 2026

“These violations include the repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to launch insulting attacks” on President Ramaphosa, the ministry said. It also accused the Israeli embassy of a “deliberate failure” to inform South African authorities about visits by senior Israeli officials.

The ministry said Seidman’s conduct amounted to “a gross abuse of diplomatic privilege and a fundamental breach of the Vienna Convention”, adding that the actions had “systematically undermined the trust and protocols essential for bilateral relations”.

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The decision follows days after an Israeli delegation visited South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, where it reportedly offered assistance in water, healthcare, and agriculture.

South African officials criticised the visit as a breach of diplomatic protocol due to the lack of prior notification.

A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy declined to comment.

Diplomatic relations between South Africa and Israel have been strained since Pretoria emerged as a leading critic of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. In December 2023, South Africa filed a case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide, a charge Israel has rejected as baseless.

In 2023, South African lawmakers voted in favour of closing Israel’s embassy in Pretoria and suspending diplomatic relations over the Gaza war, but the resolution was never implemented.