South Africa expels top Israeli diplomat over ‘insulting attacks’ on president | South Africa
South Africa has ordered Israel’s top diplomat to leave the country within 72 hours, citing “derogatory attacks” against South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on social media and “abuse of diplomatic privileges”.
Ariel Seidman, the chargé d’affaires of the Israeli embassy in Pretoria, has been declared persona non grata by South Africa’s ministry of international relations and cooperation (DIRCO). Description on their website Friday afternoon. The Israeli embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“This decisive action follows an unacceptable breach of a number of diplomatic norms and practices that directly challenge South Africa’s sovereignty,” the statement said.
“These violations include the repeated use of Israel’s official social media platforms to launch derogatory attacks against His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa and the deliberate failure to provide information to DIRCO about purported visits by senior Israeli officials.”
South Africa’s relations with Israel deteriorated in December 2023, when South Africa filed a lawsuit at the international court of justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
ICJ in January 2024 reigned He said the genocide claim was “plausible”. But the case has since slowed down and experts do not expect a decision before the end of 2027. Israel rejected the genocide accusations as “outrageous and unfounded”.
South Africa and Israel have long been at odds over the South African government’s staunch support for the Palestinian cause. Nelson Mandela shortly after being released from prison in 1990 He embraced Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. In 1997, South Africa’s then-president Mandela said: “Our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.”
Many South Africans see strong similarities between apartheid white minority rule and Israeli rule over occupied Palestinian territory, a comparison Israel rejects.
Israel’s embassy in South Africa regularly attacks the government on social media. “South African government threw away R100 million [£4.6m] Attacking Israel at the International Court of Justice and another R500 million being wasted next year. 0% of value for South Africans, 100% of political theatre.” sent In November at X.
Later that month, Ramaphosa said “boycott politics is not working” in response to Donald Trump’s refusal to attend the G20 summit in South Africa. Israeli embassy sent: “A rare moment of wisdom and diplomatic clarity from President Ramaphosa.”
South African officials were outraged earlier this week when Israeli diplomats met with Thembu king Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo in the Eastern Cape province to discuss Israel’s provision of agricultural, water and health aid without notifying the government.
Dalindyebo is pro-Israeli and visited the country He was welcomed by Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar in December.
Eastern Cape premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane said in a speech: expression He stated that he “rejects the bad agreement between Israel and Israel and sees these actions as an attempt by the Israeli government to undermine the sovereign right of the Republic of South Africa to manage its international relations.”
DIRCO said in a statement on Friday: “Such actions represent a gross abuse of diplomatic privilege and a fundamental breach of the Vienna convention.”
The Israeli embassy released videos of Dalindyebo welcoming offers of assistance to X. “These are the videos the South African media don’t want you to see.” in question.
Mandela was also part of the Thembu clan, whose historic kingdom is now home to. more than 400,000 people.
