South Africa declared Israel’s top diplomat in the country persona non grata on Friday, January 30, and ordered him to leave within 72 hours, citing repeated violations of diplomatic norms and sovereignty breaches. Israel swiftly retaliated with a matching expulsion order.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) announced that Ariel Seidman, charge d’affaires at the Israeli embassy in Pretoria, must depart after committing what it described as unacceptable violations challenging South African sovereignty.
According to the foreign ministry statement, violations included repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to launch insulting attacks against President Cyril Ramaphosa and a deliberate failure to inform authorities of purported visits by senior Israeli officials.
“Such actions represent a gross abuse of diplomatic privilege and a fundamental breach of the Vienna Convention. They have systematically undermined the trust and protocols essential for bilateral relations,” the statement read.
Within hours, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a reciprocal declaration, naming South Africa’s senior diplomatic representative Shaun Edward Byneveldt persona non grata and giving him 72 hours to leave Israel. The Israeli ministry described South Africa’s action as false attacks on Israel in the international arena and warned that additional steps will be considered in due course.
Byneveldt serves as South Africa’s ambassador to the State of Palestine, working from an office in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. DIRCO spokesperson Chrispin Phiri noted that Israel’s obstructionism forces a farcical arrangement where Byneveldt is accredited through the very state that occupies his host country, underscoring Israel’s refusal to honor international consensus on Palestinian statehood.
Relations between the two countries have been severely strained since South Africa approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2023, arguing that Israel’s military actions in Gaza amount to genocide under the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention. Israel has rejected the allegation.
South African officials were particularly angered by a tweet posted by the Israeli embassy in November 2025, which stated: “A rare moment of wisdom and diplomatic clarity from President Ramaphosa.” The post responded to a news report quoting Ramaphosa saying that boycott politics doesn’t work, referring to US President Donald Trump’s decision not to attend the G20 summit in Johannesburg.
Government officials also condemned as a protocol breach a visit by an Israeli delegation earlier this month to the Eastern Cape province. The delegation, led by David Saranga from Israel’s foreign ministry, traveled to Mthatha General Hospital and Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital, discussing ties with top ranked Sheba Medical Centre.
The visit appeared to have taken the national government by surprise and was hosted by traditional Xhosa King Buyelekhaya Zwelibanzi Dalindyebo, who had met Israeli President Isaac Herzog during a trip to Israel in December 2025.
The Israeli embassy said Saranga met an additional 50 traditional leaders across the Eastern Cape to identify areas of mutual interest that could benefit rural communities in water, agriculture, health and education.
South Africa’s foreign ministry characterized the Eastern Cape visit as bypassing proper diplomatic channels and undermining national sovereignty by engaging directly with regional authorities without central government notification or approval.
South Africa, home to the largest Jewish community in sub Saharan Africa, has remained largely supportive of the Palestinian cause and openly critical of Israeli actions in Gaza. Pretoria’s embassy in Tel Aviv has remained closed since November 17, 2023.
When more than 150 Palestinians arrived in South Africa in November 2025 without Israeli departure stamps on their passports, Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said there appeared to be a clear agenda to cleanse Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank.
“We are suspicious as a South African government about the circumstances surrounding the arrival of the plane,” Lamola stated at the time.
South Africa has witnessed repeated protests against the Israeli government and military over the war in Gaza, including renewed calls for the closure of Israel’s embassy in Pretoria.
In a November editorial, Seidman criticized South Africa for maintaining full diplomatic relations with Iran while portraying engagement with Israel as illegitimate, arguing the position reflected inconsistent foreign policy standards.
The Economic Freedom Fighters, a South African opposition party, welcomed the government’s decision Friday. “From its repeated violations of United Nations resolutions, to its open defiance of international courts, to its brazen attacks on diplomats, journalists, humanitarian workers and civilians in Palestine and beyond, Israel has established itself as a rogue state that relies on intimidation and provocation rather than mutual respect,” the party stated.
However, the South African Zionist Federation condemned the decision, accusing the African National Congress government of prioritizing ideology over citizen welfare.
“The ANC government’s decision to expel Israel’s charge d’affaires is an act of staggering moral bankruptcy and exposes a leadership more committed to ideological hostility than to the welfare of the people it has failed,” the federation said. It noted that the Israeli Embassy had partnered openly with recognized traditional leadership in the Eastern Cape to provide basic human necessities like clean water.
Tensions between South Africa and the Trump administration, a close ally of Israel, have also worsened over the past year, with the ICJ case remaining a major point of contention.
The diplomatic expulsions mark the latest escalation in deteriorating bilateral relations that have progressively worsened since South Africa filed its genocide case at the ICJ. The case, which seeks to hold Israel accountable for alleged violations during its military campaign in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas militants, has become a defining issue in South Africa’s foreign policy.
South Africa’s foreign ministry urged the Israeli government to ensure its future diplomatic conduct demonstrates respect for the republic and established principles of international engagement.
The 72 hour deadline for both diplomats to depart their respective host countries expires Monday, February 2.
