South Africa expels Israel's top diplomat in a move that could prompt a strong reaction from the US

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CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africa ordered Israel's deputy ambassador to leave the country within 72 hours on Friday, accusing him of undermining relations between the countries with social media posts that insulted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and violating diplomatic protocols.

The South African Foreign Ministry said that it was expelling Ariel Seidman, the chargé d’affaires at the Israeli Embassy, and declared him persona non grata — a diplomatic term indicating the person is no longer welcome in a country.

Seidman is the most senior Israeli diplomatic figure in South Africa after Israel recalled its ambassador in 2023.

Hours later, Israel's Foreign Ministry said on X that it was expelling a senior South African diplomat, Shaun Edward Byneveldt, in response and ordered him to leave Israel within 72 hours.

Diplomatic relations between South Africa and Israel were already severely strained after South Africa — a longtime supporter of the Palestinian people — accused Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza in a case at the United Nations’ top court.

Israel has strongly denied the allegations and accused South Africa of acting as the legal arm of the Palestinian militant group Hamas by bringing the highly emotive case before the International Court of Justice.

Seidman's expulsion was likely to provoke a strong reaction from the United States, a close Israeli ally that under President Donald Trump has already been especially critical of South Africa.

The Trump administration has characterized South Africa as a supporter of Iran and Hamas and said it is pursuing an anti-American foreign policy, which South Africa denies.

Last year, Washington also expelled South Africa’s ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, over comments he made about the Make America Great Again movement, which he said was partly a response to a “supremacist instinct.”

The South African Foreign Ministry said expelling Seidman “follows a series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice which pose a direct challenge to South Africa's sovereignty.” It said official Israeli social media platforms had been used to launch “insulting attacks” against Ramaphosa.

The ministry did not give any details on the posts it referred to, and it wasn't immediately clear what they contained.

The ministry also said there had been a deliberate failure to inform South Africa of visits by Israeli officials. It also gave no more detail on that, but David Saranga, an official at the Israeli Foreign Ministry tasked with promoting Israel's image on social media, was in South Africa this week.

South Africa said that it had informed the Israeli government of the decision to expel Seidman and urged it “to ensure its future diplomatic conduct demonstrates respect” for South Africa.

Some members of the Jewish community in South Africa criticized the decision to expel the diplomat. Karen Milner, the chairperson of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, said it was “a drastic move” on the basis of “a few tweets.”

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Associated Press writer Mogomotsi Magome in Johannesburg contributed to this report.

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AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa