PRETORIA, January 30, 2026 (WAFA) – South Africa’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs ordered the Israeli chargé d’affaires, the highest-ranking Israeli diplomat in Pretoria, to leave the country within 72 hours on Friday, prompting a reciprocal response from Tel Aviv.

Relations between the two countries have deteriorated since Pretoria filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in late 2023, accusing it of committing genocide in Gaza.

In a statement, the South African Foreign Ministry said it had informed the Israeli government of its decision to declare Ariel Seidman, the chargé d’affaires at the Israeli embassy, persona non grata.

The ministry said the decision followed a series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practices that constitute a direct infringement of South Africa’s sovereignty. 

These included the repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to insult President Cyril Ramaphosa, as well as the deliberate failure to notify the ministry of alleged visits by senior Israeli officials.

The statement said Seidman must leave South Africa within 72 hours and called on the Israeli government to ensure that its future diplomacy shows due respect for South Africa.

Tel Aviv later announced that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar had decided to declare the South African diplomatic representative persona non grata, ordering him to leave Israel within 72 hours.

The statement added that additional steps may be considered later, and said the decision was taken in response to South Africa’s move against the Israeli chargé d’affaires.

M.N