South Africa has declared Israel’s top diplomat in the country “persona non grata” and ordered him to leave within 72 hours, citing what it described as a “series of violations,” the foreign ministry said on Friday, January 30.
Relations between the two countries have been severely strained since 2023, when South Africa approached the United Nations’ top court, arguing that Israel’s war in Gaza, an illegally occupied Palestinian territory, amounted to genocide.
The foreign ministry confirmed that Israel’s charge d’affaires, Ariel Seidman, was formally notified of the decision and instructed to depart within 72 hours. “This decisive measure follows a series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice which pose a direct challenge to South Africa’s sovereignty,” the statement said.
Among the cited violations were “the repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to launch insulting attacks” on President Cyril Ramaphosa, as well as the embassy’s “deliberate failure” to notify South African authorities of visits by senior Israeli officials. Officials were particularly angered by a November tweet from the Israeli embassy mocking Ramaphosa’s comments on boycott politics.
Tensions were further inflamed by a visit earlier this month from an Israeli delegation to the Eastern Cape province. The delegation reportedly offered assistance in water supply, healthcare, and agriculture—a move that surprised national authorities. The visit was hosted by a traditional Xhosa king who had met Israeli President Isaac Herzog during a trip to Israel in December 2023.
The foreign ministry described these actions as “a gross abuse of diplomatic privilege and a fundamental breach of the Vienna Convention,” saying they undermined trust and essential protocols for bilateral relations.
South Africa, which hosts the largest Jewish community in sub-Saharan Africa, has maintained strong support for the Palestinian cause and been openly critical of Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Pretoria’s embassy in Tel Aviv has remained closed since November 17, 2023. The same year, South Africa filed a case at the International Court of Justice against Israel over its campaign in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks. Israel has rejected the allegations.
Tensions escalated further in November when over 150 Palestinians arrived in South Africa without Israeli departure stamps on their passports, prompting suspicion from the government about a possible agenda to remove Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank. “We are suspicious as a South African government about the circumstances surrounding the arrival of the plane,” said Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola.
South Africa has also seen repeated public protests against Israel’s government and military actions in Gaza, including renewed calls to close Israel’s embassy in Pretoria. Meanwhile, Seidman criticized South Africa for maintaining full diplomatic ties with Iran while questioning engagement with Israel.
The situation has been compounded by deteriorating relations between South Africa and the Trump administration, a close ally of Israel, with the ICJ case remaining a major point of contention.
