AhlulBayt News Agency: South Africa’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday ordered the Israeli Chargé d’Affaires in Pretoria, Ariel Seidman, to leave the country within 72 hours, a move reciprocated by Israel.
The decision comes amid strained relations between the two countries since late 2023, when South Africa filed a complaint against Israel at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of committing “genocide” in Gaza.
The South African Foreign Ministry stated that the decision follows “a series of unacceptable breaches of diplomatic norms and practices, including the repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to attack President Cyril Ramaphosa, as well as the deliberate failure to inform the ministry of alleged visits by senior Israeli officials.”
The ministry added: “Seidman must leave South Africa within 72 hours,” and called on the Israeli government to ensure that its diplomacy shows “proper respect for South Africa” in the future.
Israel responded by declaring the South African diplomatic representative in Israel persona non grata and demanding that they leave within 72 hours, noting that further measures could be taken later, as part of the reciprocal action to South Africa’s decision.
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