United States Condemns South Africa’s Expulsion of Israeli Diplomat
Edited By: Africa Eye
The United States has strongly criticized South Africa’s decision to expel Israel’s acting ambassador, describing the move as politically motivated and harmful to diplomatic relations.
In a post on X, Tommy Pigott, deputy spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, said that expelling a diplomat for criticizing the ruling African National Congress’s ties with Hamas and other extremist groups amounted to prioritizing “a grievance-based foreign policy over the interests of South Africa and its citizens.”
Last Friday, the South African government declared Ariel Seidman, Israel’s chargé d’affaires in Pretoria, persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country within 72 hours.
In a statement, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation said the decision followed “a series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practices,” which it described as a direct challenge to the country’s sovereignty. The ministry accused the Israeli diplomat of repeatedly using official social media platforms to launch offensive attacks against President Cyril Ramaphosa, as well as failing to properly notify authorities about potential visits by senior Israeli officials.
The ministry said these actions constituted a “serious abuse of diplomatic privileges” and a “fundamental breach” of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, undermining trust and basic protocols governing bilateral ties.
Israel responded swiftly, announcing the same day that South Africa’s senior diplomatic representative in Tel Aviv, Minister Shaun Edward Byneveldt, had also been declared persona non grata and ordered to leave within 72 hours. Israeli officials described Pretoria’s move as a “malicious attack against Israel on the international stage.”
The diplomatic escalation marks the peak of steadily worsening relations between the two countries, particularly following Israel’s war in Gaza and South Africa’s legal and political stance against Israeli policies.
In December 2023, South Africa filed a case against Israel before the International Court of Justice, accusing it of violating the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.
