South Africa declares Israel's deputy ambassador persona non grata, orders him to leave country

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — South Africa declared Israel’s deputy ambassador persona non grata on Friday and ordered him to leave the country within 72 hours.

The South African Foreign Ministry said that it was expelling Ariel Seidman, the charge d’affaires at the embassy, because of repeated official Israeli social media posts that insulted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The ministry also said there had been a deliberate failure to inform South Africa of visits by Israeli officials and called it “unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practices.”

Seidman is the most senior Israeli diplomatic figure in South Africa after Israel recalled its ambassador in 2023.

South Africa’s diplomatic relations with Israel were already severely strained after South Africa — which is a longtime supporter of the Palestinian people — accused Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza in a court case at the United Nations’ top court.