South Africa and Israel have escalated their ongoing diplomatic feud by expelling each other's senior diplomats, marking a significant deterioration in their bilateral relations. This reciprocal action underscores deeply rooted tensions that have intensified recently.

On Friday, January 30, South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) announced that Ariel Seidman, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Israeli Embassy in South Africa, was declared persona non grata and given 72 hours to leave the country. This decision was prompted by repeated breaches of diplomatic norms, including the use of official Israeli social media platforms to insult President Cyril Ramaphosa and the failure to notify South Africa of visits by senior Israeli officials.

DIRCO stated, "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." Seidman had been appointed Chargé d’Affaires last year, with his role extending to neighboring countries like Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Namibia.

In direct retaliation, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced hours later that South Africa’s senior diplomat in Israel, Minister Shaun Edward Byneveldt, was also declared persona non grata and had 72 hours to depart. Israel’s foreign ministry cited "South Africa’s false attacks against Israel in the international arena and the unilateral, baseless step taken against the Chargé d’Affaires of Israel in South Africa" as the reason.

The Israeli government further indicated that "additional steps will be considered in due course." South Africa's foreign affairs ministry spokesperson accused Israel of using a "farcical arrangement where he is accredited through the very state that occupies his host country" to expel Byneveldt. Notably, both Seidman and Byneveldt were their respective countries' highest-ranking representatives, as neither nation currently maintains an ambassador in the other.

The diplomatic tensions between South Africa and Israel have a long and complex history, dating back to the end of apartheid in 1994, when Nelson Mandela visited Israel but openly criticized its treatment of Palestinians. The feud intensified significantly in 2023 during the Gaza war, when South Africa initiated a lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing it of committing genocide against Palestinians in violation of the Genocide Convention – a charge Israel has vehemently rejected.

While South African lawmakers voted to suspend diplomatic ties and close the Israeli embassy in Pretoria, this move was not implemented, with both countries still maintaining diplomatic presences. Earlier diplomatic withdrawals include South Africa recalling its ambassador to Israel in 2018 after an indiscriminate deadly attack on civilians in Gaza, and Israel recalling its ambassador to South Africa in 2023 after the ICJ lawsuit.

Further exacerbating the recent row was the controversy surrounding Ariel Seidman's close ties with Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, a controversial South African king and Nelson Mandela's nephew. Dalindyebo visited Israel in December without the knowledge of the South African government, meeting high-ranking officials.

Upon his return, an Israeli delegation visited the monarch's home province of the Eastern Cape, promising aid in areas like water, health, and agriculture. Israeli officials subsequently posted videos and images of this trip on social media platform X, which drew criticism from Ramaphosa’s government. South Africa has several recognized monarchs representing different ethnic groups and clans, but they hold no formal political power.