South Africa expels Israel's top diplomat, prompting tit-for-tat retaliation

By Nellie Peyton and Anathi Madubela

South Africa declared the top diplomat at Israel's embassy persona non grata on Friday and ordered him out within 72 hours, a move that could worsen strained relations with the United States.

Israel promptly retaliated by declaring South Africa's senior diplomatic representative, Minister Shaun Edward Byneveldt, persona non grata and giving him the same deadline to leave.

Relations between the countries have been strained since South Africa brought a genocide case over Israel's actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice. Israel has rejected the case as baseless.

The genocide case has also contributed to U.S. President Donald Trump's attacks on Pretoria, including verbal scolding, trade sanctions and an executive order last year cutting all U.S. funding.

ACCUSATIONS OF OFFENSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS

South Africa's foreign ministry said it had ordered Israeli chargé d'affaires Ariel Seidman to leave because of "unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice", including insulting President Cyril Ramaphosa on social media.

It did not specify which social media posts had caused offence, but one potential culprit was a post on X in November in which the Israeli embassy account wrote: "A rare moment of wisdom and diplomatic clarity from President Ramaphosa."

The South African statement also accused Seidman of a "deliberate failure" to notify South African authorities about visits by senior Israeli officials.

Israel's foreign ministry posted on X that it was expelling South Africa's representative "following South Africa's false attacks against Israel in the international arena and the unilateral, baseless step taken against (Israel's) Chargé d'Affaires".

South African lawmakers in 2023 voted in favour of closing the Israeli embassy in Pretoria and suspending diplomatic relations over the war in Gaza, but that decision was never implemented.

"We do hope that the Israeli embassy will engage with us in a respectful manner, and (that) they will send someone who will engage respectfully and who will uphold and pursue diplomacy. That is what we intend to do," said Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for South Africa's foreign ministry, on the television channel Newzroom Afrika.