Overview
- South Africa on Friday declared Israel’s chargé d’affaires, Ariel Seidman, persona non grata and gave him 72 hours to leave, citing protocol breaches and insulting social media posts about President Cyril Ramaphosa.
- Israel responded within hours by ordering South Africa’s senior representative in Israel, Shaun Edward Byneveldt, to depart within 72 hours.
- The row followed Israeli outreach in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, where envoy David Saranga promoted water and medical partnerships with traditional leaders, drawing objections from provincial authorities over process and sovereignty.
- The U.S. State Department condemned Pretoria’s decision, with deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott saying it prioritizes grievance politics, as Congress prepares to vote on renewing the AGOA trade program.
- Analysts and reporting warn of potential AGOA repercussions or targeted U.S. measures rather than a full rupture, while South African Jewish groups criticized the expulsions as undermining aid to vulnerable communities.