South Africa expels top Israeli diplomat over social media posts

South Africa expelled Israel’s chargé d’affaires on Friday over what it said was a series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practices.

Ariel Seidman was given 72 hours to leave the country and was declared persona non grata, a diplomatic term which means he is no longer welcome in a country.

The Department of International Relations said the violations included the use of official Israeli social media platforms to launch insulting attacks against President Cyril Ramaphosa.

It also accused Seidman of a "deliberate failure" to notify South African authorities about visits by senior Israeli officials.

He was Israel’s most senior diplomatic figure in South Africa after it recalled its ambassador in 2023.

Israel promptly retaliated by declaring South Africa's senior diplomatic representative, Shaun Edward Byneveldt, persona non grata and giving him the same deadline to leave. 

Diplomatic relations between the two countries have been strained since South Africa brought a genocide case to the International Court of Justice over Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Israel has strongly denied the allegations and accused South Africa of acting as the legal arm of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Seidman's expulsion was likely to provoke a strong reaction from the United States, a close Israeli ally that under President Donald Trump has already been especially critical of South Africa.

The Trump administration has characterized South Africa as a supporter of Iran and Hamas and said it is pursuing an anti-American foreign policy, which South Africa denies.