South Africa and Israel have plunged into their sharpest diplomatic confrontation yet, with both governments expelling each other’s top envoys in a rapid escalation linked to the ongoing genocide case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Pretoria at the weekend declared Israel’s chargé d’affaires Ariel Seidman persona non grata and ordered him to leave within 72 hours.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) accused Seidman of “unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms,” including using official Israeli platforms to attack President Cyril Ramaphosa and failing to notify South Africa of visits by senior Israeli officials.
DIRCO said the conduct constituted a breach of the Vienna Convention and a direct challenge to South Africa’s sovereignty.
Within hours, Israel retaliated by expelling South Africa’s envoy to Palestine, Shaun Edward Byneveldt, giving him the same 72‑hour deadline.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “additional steps” were under consideration.
The diplomatic rupture unfolds against the backdrop of South Africa’s ICJ case accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza – a charge Israel rejects.
Pretoria recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv in November 2023, shortly after the war began and filed its ICJ application the following month.
With both countries operating only through chargés d’affaires since then, the latest expulsions leave the relationship at its most fragile point in decades.
JN/APA