By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
South Africa has expelled top Israeli diplomat, escalating tensions between the two countries and risking the renewed criticism by the United States of America.
Department of International Relations and Corporation (Dirco) officials met with Ariel Seidman on Friday to notify him that he’s been designated persona non grata.
The measure comes after the authorities issued two diplomatic rebukes in as many months to Seidman.
The drastic measure has been taken after Seidman and the Israeli Embassy undertook “unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice, which pose a direct challenge to South Africa’s sovereignty,” DIRCO spokesperson Chripin Phiri said.
Declaring Seidman persona non grata strips him of his diplomatic immunity and strips him of his status as a valid representative of his home nation in the eyes of the South African government.
Failure to comply with the order to leave the country may result in Seidman losing diplomatic protection and could even result in arrest.
Under the Vienna Convention, a country is entitled to make this declaration at any time without providing a specific reason.
Seidman has previously published articles criticising the South African government for the “selective invocation of ‘sovereignty’.”
“South Africa maintains active diplomatic relations with numerous countries experiencing violent conflict, including Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, and Somalia,” said Seidman.
Earlier this month, the Israeli Embassy posted on the social media platform X that Israeli representatives visited the Eastern Cape to discuss assistance in water, health and agriculture.
This included David Saranga from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Saranga met with “dozens of traditional leaders”, the Israeli Embassy said, to promote access to clean drinking water in remote villages.
Saranga then visited the Mthatha General Hospital and the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital, holding discussions with their CEOs on cooperation with Israel’s largest hospital, Sheba.
The breakdown in relations between Israel and South Africa has deepened significantly in recent years, driven primarily by South Africa’s strong opposition to Israel’s military actions in Gaza and its historical parallels to apartheid.
Tensions escalated after South Africa filed a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in late 2023, accusing Israel of violating the Genocide Convention in Gaza.