JOHANNESBURG
South Africa on Friday declared the charge d’affaires of the Israeli Embassy in Pretoria persona non grata, giving him 72 hours to leave the country.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said Israel had been formally notified of the decision to declare Ariel Seidman an unwelcome person.
“This decisive measure follows a series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice which pose a direct challenge to South Africa’s sovereignty,’’ Phiri said in a statement.
According to the statement, the violations include Seidman’s repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to launch insulting attacks against South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, as well as a deliberate failure to inform the Foreign Ministry of purported visits by senior Israeli officials.
Pretoria said Seidman’s actions amounted to a gross abuse of diplomatic privilege and a fundamental breach of the Vienna Convention. “Mr Seidman is required to depart from the Republic within 72 hours,’’ it said.
“They have systematically undermined the trust and protocols essential for bilateral relations,’’ it added.
South Africa urged Israel to ensure that its future diplomatic conduct demonstrates respect for the Republic and the established principles of international engagement.
In 2023, South Africa summoned the Israeli ambassador to Pretoria, Eliav Belotsercovsky, over his alleged conduct related to the ongoing Israel-Palestine war.
Belotsercovsky was accused of making disparaging remarks about those who speak out against attacks on Palestinians.
South Africa, which maintains relations with both Israel and Palestine, filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in December 2023, accusing it of violating its obligations under the Genocide Convention in its actions against Palestinians in Gaza.
Since then, the court has issued a series of provisional measures ordering Israel to take steps to prevent acts of genocide.
More than 71,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and over 171,000 others injured in the Israeli war since October 2023.
