politics
February 4, 2026
South Africa explains expulsion of Israeli envoy
South Africa and Israel have engaged in tit-for-tat expulsions of senior diplomats, accusing each other of hostile conduct
TL;DR
- South Africa expelled Israeli diplomat Ariel Seidman for violating diplomatic norms and social media "insulting attacks" on the president.
- DIRCO cited deliberate failure to inform them of purported senior Israeli official visits as a violation of sovereignty.
- Israel responded by expelling Shaun Edward Byneveldt, South Africa's representative to Palestine.
- The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated its move was a response to South Africa's "false attacks" and unilateral action.
- The diplomatic row occurs amid deteriorating relations over Israel's war in Gaza, with South Africa bringing a genocide case against Israel at the ICJ.
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