US says expulsion of Israeli diplomat by SA ‘poor foreign policy choice’

South Africa ordered Israel's top diplomat to leave the country within 72 hours on Friday, citing a "series of violations" and prompting the Israeli government to expel Pretoria's own diplomatic representative.

Ties between the nations are already strained by South Africa's case before the United Nations’ top court in 2023 to argue that Israel's war on Gaza amounts to genocide.

The South African foreign ministry said it had informed Israel that its charge d'affaires, Ariel Seidman, was "persona non grata" and "required to depart from the Republic within 72 hours". 

Breaches included "the repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to launch insulting attacks" on President Cyril Ramaphosa, the statement said.

The foreign ministry also accused the embassy of a "deliberate failure" to inform South Africa of visits by senior Israeli officials.

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The Israeli foreign ministry swiftly responded that South Africa's senior diplomatic representative, Shaun Byneveldt, "is persona non grata and must leave Israel within 72 hours".

In a statement on X, it accused Pretoria of "false attacks against Israel in the international arena" and described Seidman's expulsion as a "unilateral, baseless step".

Seidman was Israel's most senior representative in South Africa after Tel Aviv recalled its ambassador in 2023.

“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,” US State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Piggot said on social media.  

South Africa's ties with the Trump administration -- a strong ally of Israel -- have also deteriorated over the past year, with the case before the ICJ a major sticking point.

*AFP contributed to this report