South Africa has declared the Israeli embassy’s chargé d’affaires, Ariel Seidman, persona non grata, according to the South African foreign ministry.
The Israeli diplomat, according to the foreign ministry, violated diplomatic etiquette by running a defamatory campaign against the South African president on social media. The foreign ministry has demanded that Israel abide by future diplomatic norms.
It should be noted that South Africa alleged that Israel had committed and was committing genocide in Gaza, contravening the Genocide Convention, including what South Africa described as Israel’s 75-year apartheid, 56-year occupation, and 16-year blockade of the Strip.
South Africa requested that the ICJ indicate provisional measures of protection, including the immediate suspension of Israel’s operations. Israel characterized South Africa’s charges as “baseless”, accusing the country of “functioning as the legal arm” of Hamas.
Israel said that it was conducting a war of self-defense in accordance with international law following the Hamas-led attack on its territory on 7 October 2023.
Read also:
