Staff Reporter
South Africa has declared Israel’s chargé d’affaires in Pretoria, Ariel Seidman, persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country 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. These violations include the repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to launch insulting attacks against His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa, and a deliberate failure to inform DIRCO of purported visits by senior Israeli officials,” said the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) on Friday.
“Such actions represent a gross abuse of diplomatic privilege and a fundamental breach of the Vienna Convention,” the department said, adding they had “systematically undermined the trust and protocols essential for bilateral relations”.
“South Africa’s sovereignty and the dignity of its offices are inviolable,” DIRCO said. “Mr. Seidman is required to depart from the Republic within 72 hours.”
The move comes amid strained relations between South Africa and Israel, after Pretoria took Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague in late 2023, accusing it of violating the Genocide Convention in its war in Gaza — allegations Israel has rejected.
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The ICJ has since issued multiple orders indicating provisional measures in the case.
In its statement, DIRCO urged Israel to “ensure its future diplomatic conduct demonstrates respect for the Republic and the established principles of international engagement”.
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