South Africa Expels Acting Israeli Ambassador

SadaNews - On Friday, South Africa declared the acting Israeli ambassador, Ariel Sideman, as a "persona non grata" due to "violations" of diplomatic norms, including insults against President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation stated in a press release that it had informed the Israeli government of its decision to "declare Sideman a persona non grata" and requested that he leave the country within 72 hours.

It clarified that this "decisive" action came "following a series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practices," which it deemed a "direct challenge to the sovereignty of South Africa."

The department reported that these violations include "the repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to launch abusive attacks against President Ramaphosa and the deliberate failure to report alleged visits by senior Israeli officials."

The department stated that Sideman's behavior constitutes a "serious abuse of diplomatic privileges and a substantial breach of the Vienna Convention governing diplomatic relations between countries around the world."

It emphasized that these actions "systematically undermined the trust and fundamental protocols of bilateral relations."

The department affirmed that "the sovereignty of South Africa and the dignity of its offices are protected."

It urged the Israeli government to "ensure that its future diplomatic conduct respects the republic and the established principles of international engagement," according to the statement.

The Israeli government did not immediately comment on the step taken by South Africa today.

This comes after relations between Israel and South Africa significantly deteriorated due to the war in Gaza, where South Africa has repeatedly claimed that the Israeli aerial and ground assaults aim to "destroy the population" of Gaza.

It is worth noting that labeling someone as a "persona non grata" is an official diplomatic procedure used by countries to refuse the presence of a foreign diplomat on their territory.

This decision does not require justification from the host country, according to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, but the procedure is employed in cases of acute diplomatic disputes, provocative statements or activities, or a desire to send a strong political message to another country.