South Africa Expels Israel’s Top Diplomat, Prompting Reciprocal Action

The expulsions come amid already strained relations between both countries after South Africa brought a genocide case against Israel.

Participants hold up Israeli flags during a demonstration in Leipzig, Germany on Jan. 17, 2026. Heiko Rebsch/dpa via AP

South Africa on Jan. 30 ordered Israel’s ambassador to leave the country, prompting Israel to do the same.

The South African Foreign Ministry declared Ariel Seidman, the chargé d'affaires at the Israeli Embassy, to be “persona non grata”—a diplomatic term meaning the person is unwelcome in the country.