South Africa expels top Israeli diplomat, risking US ire

South Africa expelled a top local Israeli diplomat, escalating tensions between the two countries and risking renewed criticism by the US.

Senior officials met with Ariel Seidman on Friday to notify him that he’s been designated persona non grata, according to people familiar with the talks. The measure comes after the South African authorities issued two diplomatic rebukes in as many months to Seidman, said the people who asked not to be indentified as the information isn’t public.

Chrispin Phiri, spokesman for South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation, confirmed the decision, and said that Seidman had been given 72 hours to leave the country. Calls to the Israeli Embassy in Pretoria went unanswered when Bloomberg sought comment.

“This decisive measure follows a series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice, which pose a direct challenge to South Africa’s sovereignty,” Phiri said. “These violations include the repeated use of official Israeli social-media platforms to launch insulting attacks against His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa, and a deliberate failure to inform Dirco of purported visits by senior Israeli officials.”

The expulsion risks inflaming diplomatic tensions between Washington and Pretoria. It comes as American lawmakers weigh excluding South Africa from a preferential-trade agreement.

The US has objected to South Africa’s high-profile genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, a confrontation that challenges a close American ally. At least 25 countries have since joined South Africa’s application in the International Court of Justice.

President Donald Trump last year froze almost all aid to Pretoria, claiming it had taken “aggressive positions” toward the US, including its close relations with countries like Russia and Iran, along with the ICJ case. Newly appointed US Ambassador to South Africa Leo Brent Bozell has said that defending America’s stance on Israel will be a “top priority” when he takes up the post.

South African lawmakers voted to downgrade the nation’s embassy in Israel in 2023 and its cabinet was poised to take a decision on the closing of the mission in 2025, though this has not yet happened.

South Africa’s ties with Israel have been uneasy since the African National Congress forged close links with the Palestine Liberation Organization, viewing the Palestinian cause through the lens of its own fight against White-minority rule. South African officials have consistently accused Israel of practicing apartheid in its treatment of Palestinians.

© 2026 Bloomberg

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