South Africa has declared Israel’s deputy ambassador persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country within 72 hours. The South African Foreign Ministry said it was expelling Ariel Seidman, the chargé d’affaires at the Israeli Embassy, because of repeated Israeli social media posts insulting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. The ministry also said there had been a deliberate failure to inform South Africa of visits by Israeli officials — “unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms.” Seidman is the most senior Israeli diplomatic figure in South Africa after Israel recalled its ambassador in 2023. Later on Friday, Israel responded by expelling South Africa’s most senior diplomat there.
