Israel expels South Africa’s top diplomat

Israel has promptly retaliated against South Africa by declaring its senior diplomatic representative, Minister Shaun Edward Byneveldt, persona non grata and giving him 72 hours to leave Ramallah in the Israeli-controlled West Bank.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in a brief statement that “additional steps will be considered in due course.”

This follows South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) declaring the Charge d’Affaires of the Israeli Embassy, Ariel Seidman, persona non grata, on 30 January 2026.

Declaring someone persona non grata strips them of their diplomatic immunity, as well as status as a valid representative in the eyes of the government.

Failure to comply with the order to leave the country may result them losing diplomatic protection and arrest.

In response, DIRCO spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said that “Byneveldt is ambassador to the State of Palestine not Israel, Israel’s obstructionism forces a farcical arrangement where he is accredited through the very state that occupies his host country.”

“This underscores Israel’s refusal to honour international consensus on Palestinian statehood.”

While Byneveldt is the South African Ambassador to the State of Palestine and is based in Ramallah, he is accredited through Israel due to the security and administrative occupation Israel maintains over the West Bank.

Looking at the reason for the initial expulsion, according to DIRCO, Seidman and the Israeli Embassy undertook “unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice, which pose a direct challenge to South Africa’s sovereignty.”

These alleged violations include the repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to launch “insulting attacks” against President Cyril Ramaphosa. 

Following the United State’s boycott South Africa’s G20 Leaders Summit, Ramaphosa posted a statement, saying that boycott politics is not effective. 

The Embassy, headed by Seidman after Israel recalled its formal ambassador in November 2023, praised this as “a rare moment of wisdom and diplomatic clarity” from the president, which the ANC called “disrespectful.”

Furthermore, the embassy is accused of a “deliberate failure to inform DIRCO of purported visits by senior Israeli officials.”

Earlier this month, the Israeli Embassy posted on the social media platform X that Israeli representatives visited the Eastern Cape to discuss assistance in water, health and agriculture. 

This included David Saranga from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Saranga met with “dozens of traditional leaders”, the Israeli Embassy said, to promote access to clean drinking water in remote villages.

Saranga then visited the Mthatha General Hospital and the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital, holding discussions with their CEOs on cooperation with Israel’s largest hospital, Sheba. 

DIRCO said that “such actions represent a gross abuse of diplomatic privilege and a fundamental breach of the Vienna Convention.”

“They have systematically undermined the trust and protocols essential for bilateral relations. South Africa’s sovereignty and the dignity of its offices are inviolable.”

Relations between the countries have been strained since 2018, when South Africa recalled its ambassador to Israel following a deadly protest in Gaza. The position has been vacant since.

In November 2023, the South African government recalled all diplomats from Tel Aviv for “consultation.”

Israel recalled its ambassador to South Africa, Eli Belotserkovsky, on November 20, 2023.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs cited “antagonistic statements” from the South African government regarding Israel’s military operations in Gaza.

This was followed on November 21, 2023, by a South African parliamentary vote in favor of closing the Israeli Embassy in Pretoria and suspending diplomatic relations. This has not yet been formally enforced.

On December 29, 2023, when South Africa filed a formal application at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of violating the Genocide Convention. Israel has rejected the case as “baseless.” 

The genocide case has also been cited by US President Donald Trump during his attacks on Pretoria, including verbal scolding, trade sanctions, and an executive order last year cutting all funding.