The Department of International Relations and Cooperation declared Ariel Seidman, the chargé d’affaires at the Israeli embassy, persona non grata — a diplomatic term indicating a person is no longer welcome in a country.
The government accused Seidman of launching “insulting attacks” against South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on social media and deliberately failing to inform the ministry of visits by senior Israeli officials, according to a statement from the department.
“Such actions represent a gross abuse of diplomatic privilege and a fundamental breach of the Vienna Convention,” the department said. “They have systematically undermined the trust and protocols essential for bilateral relations.”
Hours later, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared South African diplomat Shaun Edward Byneveldt persona non grata and gave him 72 hours to leave Israel, according to Israeli officials.
Byneveldt serves as South Africa’s ambassador to the State of Palestine, working from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for South Africa’s foreign affairs ministry, said Israel’s action highlighted its refusal to recognize Palestinian statehood. “Israel’s obstructionism forces a farcical arrangement where he is accredited through the very state that occupies his host country,” Phiri wrote on social media.
The tit-for-tat expulsions mark the latest escalation in deteriorating relations between the two countries over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
South Africa filed a case at the International Court of Justice in late December 2023, accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The court issued provisional measures in January 2024 ordering Israel to prevent genocidal acts, though Israel has rejected the allegations.
Diplomatic crisis deepens as Pretoria declares Ariel Seidman persona non grata amid ongoing tensions over Gaza genocide allegations. Photo: Facebook
“South Africa is gravely concerned with the plight of civilians caught in the present Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip due to the indiscriminate use of force and forcible removal of inhabitants,” the government said when filing the case.
Israel’s military recently acknowledged that approximately 70,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, according to Israeli media reports. The Gaza Health Ministry puts the current death toll at over 71,000. The war has also created a severe humanitarian crisis in the territory.
United Nations experts and international human rights organizations have supported allegations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Earlier this month, the UN’s human rights chief said Israel maintains “a particularly severe form of racial discrimination and segregation that resembles the kind of apartheid system we have seen before,” according to reports.
South African activists have drawn Israeli officials’ anger by comparing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to the apartheid system that existed in South Africa for decades.
The Economic Freedom Fighters, a South African opposition party, welcomed Friday’s decision to expel Seidman. The party said Israel has “established itself as a rogue state that relies on intimidation and provocation rather than mutual respect,” citing violations of UN resolutions and international court orders.
The party urged South Africa to sever all diplomatic and economic ties with Israel.
Seidman became Israel’s highest-ranking diplomat in South Africa after Israel recalled its ambassador in 2023 following South Africa’s genocide case filing. The expulsion could draw criticism from the United States, which under President Donald Trump has characterized South Africa as pursuing anti-American policies — claims South Africa denies.
Karen Milner, chairperson of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, criticized the expulsion as “a drastic move” based on “a few tweets,” according to media reports.
The South African government urged Israel “to ensure its future diplomatic conduct demonstrates respect for the Republic and the established principles of international engagement.”
