South Africa declared on Friday that Ariel Seidman, the official in charge of relations between the countries at Israel's embassy in Pretoria, is persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country within 72 hours. A statement from the South African Foreign Ministry described the move as "a decisive step" following "unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms."
According to the statement, the step stems from "repeated use of Israel's official social media platforms for offensive attacks against President Cyril Ramaphosa," as well as "deliberate failure to report visits by senior Israeli officials." The South African Foreign Ministry added that "these actions constitute abuse of diplomatic immunity and a blatant violation of the Vienna Convention (the treaty governing diplomatic relations)."
The statement further noted that "we will not tolerate harm to South Africa's sovereignty and the dignity of its institutions," and the government called on Israel "to ensure that its future diplomatic conduct demonstrates respect for the republic and the accepted principles of international engagement."
South Africa has led the campaign against Israel in the international arena since the war began, and it maintains warm relations with Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, and Iran. In December 2023, South Africa filed a lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, alleging violations of the Genocide Convention. Since then, additional countries have joined the lawsuit, including Ireland, Brazil, Spain, and other nations.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar decided in response to the move that South Africa's senior diplomatic representative is persona non grata and must leave Israel within 72 hours. Additional steps will be considered going forward.
