US Criticises South Africa’s Expulsion of Israel’s Top Diplomat

The United States has criticised South Africa’s decision to declare Israel’s acting ambassador, Ariel Seidman, persona non grata and order his expulsion.

US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott expressed Washington’s concerns in a post on X, describing the move as another example of what he called South Africa’s “poor foreign policy choices.”

Pigott said the decision prioritised what he termed “grievance politics over the good of South Africa and its citizens.” He accused Pretoria of expelling Seidman for “calling out” alleged ties between the African National Congress (ANC) and Hamas, as well as what he described as links to “other antisemitic radicals.”

On Friday, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation announced that Seidman had been declared persona non grata over what it described as “a series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice,” giving him 72 hours to leave the country.

The ministry said his conduct posed a direct challenge to South Africa’s sovereignty, citing remarks it considered insulting to President Cyril Ramaphosa.

In a retaliatory move, Israel declared South Africa’s senior diplomatic representative persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country within 72 hours.

South Africa has been a vocal critic of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and, in December 2023, filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing it of breaching its obligations under the Genocide Convention.

Since then, the court has issued a series of provisional measures ordering Israel to take steps to prevent acts of genocide.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza, has reported a cumulative death toll above 70,000 since the conflict began in October 2023. This includes at least 71,667 deaths and around 171,343 injuries as of early 2026, according to its most recent public cumulative update.