Declaring Ariel Seidman persona non grata for calling out ties to Hamas prioritizes grievance politics over national interests, a State Department spokesperson has said
The US has criticized South Africa for expelling Israel’s top diplomat, calling the move a “poor foreign policy choice.” Washington has repeatedly accused Pretoria of taking hardline positions toward US allies.
South Africa last week declared Ariel Seidman, Israel’s charge d’affaires in Pretoria, persona non grata, and ordered him to leave the country within 72 hours.
The decision was in response to violations of diplomatic norms and “insulting attacks” on President Cyril Ramaphosa by the Israeli Embassy on social media, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation said.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry responded by ordering Shaun Edward Byneveldt, South Africa’s representative to Palestine, to leave within a similar timeframe. The ministry accused Pretoria of launching “false attacks against Israel.”
On Wednesday, US State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott described Pretoria’s decision as “another example of its poor foreign-policy choices.”
“Expelling a diplomat for calling out the African National Congress party’s ties to Hamas and other antisemitic radicals prioritizes grievance politics over the good of South Africa and its citizens,” Pigott said in a post on X.
Relations between South Africa, a vocal supporter of Palestinian independence, and Israel have deteriorated since Pretoria filed a case at the International Court of Justice, accusing West Jerusalem of waging a campaign of “genocide” in Gaza. Israel denies the allegations.
The latest dispute comes amid broader strains in Pretoria’s ties with Washington since US President Donald Trump returned to office last year. Trump and senior members of his administration have repeatedly accused the South African government of failing to align with Washington on key international issues and of allowing what he described as genocide against white citizens – claims Pretoria has dismissed as misinformation.
Last March, Washington expelled South Africa’s ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, after he publicly criticized policies of the Trump administration.
The administration has also cut aid to South Africa, citing a controversial land expropriation law that it says discriminates against Afrikaners, as well as Pretoria’s alleged close ties with Iran, Russia, and China.
