South Africa and Israel expel envoys in deepening feud

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — South Africa ordered Israel’s top diplomat to leave the country within 72 hours on Friday, citing a “series of violations” and prompting the Israeli government to expel Pretoria’s own diplomatic representative.

Ties between the nations are already strained by South Africa’s case before the United Nations top court in 2023 to argue that Israel’s war on Gaza amounts to genocide.

The South African foreign ministry said it had informed Israel that its charge d’affaires, Ariel Seidman, was “persona non grata” and “required to depart from the Republic 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,” it said.

Breaches included “the repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to launch insulting attacks” on President Cyril Ramaphosa, the statement said.

The foreign ministry also accused the embassy of a “deliberate failure” to inform South Africa of visits by senior Israeli officials.

The Israeli foreign ministry swiftly responded that South Africa’s senior diplomatic representative, Shaun Byneveldt, “is persona non grata and must leave Israel within 72 hours.”

In a statement on X, it accused Pretoria of “false attacks against Israel in the international arena” and described Seidman’s expulsion as a “unilateral, baseless step.”

Seidman was Israel’s most senior representative in South Africa after Tel Aviv recalled its ambassador in 2023.

‘Abuse of privilege’

South African officials were angered by a tweet from the Israeli embassy in November that commented: “A rare moment of wisdom and diplomatic clarity from President Ramaphosa.”

The post was in reaction to a news story citing Ramaphosa as saying “boycott politics doesn’t work,” in reference to U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to not attend the G20 summit in Johannesburg.

South African government officials also condemned as a breach of protocol a visit by an Israeli delegation this month to the Eastern Cape province where delegates reportedly offered to provide water, health care and agriculture expertise.

The visit was hosted by a traditional king from the Xhosa people who had met Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Israel in December.

The South African foreign ministry said it had not been informed of the visit, which included senior Israeli diplomat David Saranga.

It said diplomatic breaches by Israel “represent a gross abuse of diplomatic privilege.”

“They have systematically undermined the trust and protocols essential for bilateral relations,” it said.

South Africa’s foreign affairs spokesman also hit back at Israel’s tit-for-tat expulsion of Byneveldt, saying he was “ambassador to the state of Palestine not Israel.”

“Israel’s obstructionism forces a farcical arrangement where he is accredited through the very state that occupies his host country,” spokesman Chrispin Phiri said on X.

Genocide case

South Africa, which hosts the largest Jewish community in sub-Saharan Africa, is sharply critical of Israel and largely supportive of the Palestinian cause.

The government filed a case against Israel with the International Court of Justice in 2023 saying that its war on Gaza — which followed the October 2023 attack on Israel by militants from the Palestinian group Hamas — breached the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention.

Israel has denied that accusation.

When more than 150 Palestinians flew into South Africa in November without departure stamps from Israel on their passports, South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said there appeared to be “a clear agenda to cleanse Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank.”

There have been regular protests in South Africa against the Israeli government’s and military’s actions in Gaza, including calls for the embassy in Pretoria to be closed.

South Africa’s ties with the Trump administration — a strong ally of Israel — have also deteriorated over the past year, with the case before the ICJ a major sticking point.

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By BRONWEN ROBERTS Agence France-Presse