Africa-Press. Diplomatic relations between Israel and South Africa saw a sharp, unprecedented escalation after each country declared the other’s diplomatic representative “persona non grata” and ordered him to leave within 72 hours.
This move represents the peak of ongoing tensions between the two sides, especially in the wake of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip and South Africa’s legal and political positions toward Israeli policies.
The escalation comes amid a series of diplomatic violations that South Africa viewed as a direct challenge to its sovereignty, while Israel considered the step a response to what it described as “malicious attacks” against it on the international stage.
South Africa’s government announced that Ariel Sidman, the acting head of Israel’s embassy in Pretoria, had been declared “persona non grata” and was instructed to leave the country within 72 hours.
In an official statement, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation said the decision came “after a series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practices,” which it regarded as a direct challenge to South Africa’s national sovereignty.
The department explained that these violations included the repeated use of Israel’s official social media platforms to launch offensive attacks against South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, in addition to a deliberate failure to inform authorities about potential visits by senior Israeli officials.
The statement described these actions as “a serious abuse of diplomatic privileges and a fundamental breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” stressing that they undermined trust and the core protocols governing bilateral relations between the two countries.
Sidman has held the post since Israel recalled its ambassador from South Africa in November 2023, after Pretoria withdrew its diplomats from Tel Aviv following the escalation of the war in Gaza in October 2023.
The Israeli response
In a swift response, Israel announced that South Africa’s most senior diplomatic representative in Tel Aviv, Minister Sean Edward Painfieldt, had been declared “persona non grata” and ordered to leave within 72 hours, calling the South African move “a malicious attack on Israel on the international stage.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it would consider “taking additional steps at the appropriate time.”
On December 29, 2023, South Africa filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, accusing it of violating the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention of Genocide—an allegation Israel strongly denies.
