South Africa has declared Israel’s top diplomat persona non grata, ordering him to leave the country within 72 hours, in one of the most severe diplomatic actions available under international law and South Africa’s own foreign relations framework.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) confirmed that Ariel Seidman, Israel’s chargé d’affaires, was expelled following what it described as “serious and repeated violations of diplomatic norms and conventions”.
The decision marks a decisive escalation in deteriorating relations between South Africa and Israel and signals Pretoria’s willingness to enforce the limits of diplomatic privilege.
Under Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations, a receiving state may, “at any time and without having to explain its decision”, declare a diplomat persona non grata. Once declared, the sending state is obliged to recall the diplomat or terminate their functions. Failure to do so allows the host country to withdraw recognition and require departure.
South Africa has included these rules in its own laws through the Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act, which allows the government to take away recognition if a diplomat acts in a way that goes against their role or harms the country’s interests, dignity, or sovereignty.
Dirco indicated that the threshold for such action had been crossed. It cited that official Israeli embassy social media platforms were used to publish what it described as “insulting and inflammatory statements” directed at President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The department said this amounted to direct political interference and an abuse of diplomatic privilege, rather than protected expression.
Furthermore, South Africa accused the Israeli mission of repeatedly failing to notify the government of visits by senior Israeli officials, a basic protocol requirement intended to preserve orderly diplomatic engagement and state sovereignty.
These actions collectively constitute “a gross abuse of diplomatic privileges and a fundamental breach of the Vienna Convention.”
Relations between Pretoria and Tel Aviv have been under sustained strain, driven largely by South Africa’s outspoken opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza and its alignment with Palestinian causes in multilateral forums.
