Israel on Friday ordered South Africa’s senior diplomat Minister Shaun Edward Byneveldt, to leave the country within 72 hours, after declaring him persona non grata.
The development comes after South Africa declared the Israeli Chargé d’Affaires, Mr Ariel Seidman, persona non grata, and ordered him to leave the country within 72 hours.
The Israeli authority said In a statement that the “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar decided – following South Africa’s false attacks against Israel in the international arena and the unilateral, baseless step taken against the Chargé d’Affaires of Israel in South Africa – that South Africa’s senior diplomatic representative, Minister Shaun Edward Byneveldt, is persona non grata and must leave Israel within 72 hours.”
The statement added that “additional steps will be considered in due course.”
In a diplomatic row which peaked on Thursday, the South Africa government in statement accused Seidman of “series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice which pose a direct challenge to South Africa’s sovereignty.”
The statement added that the government took a “decisive measure” aimed at defending the country’s sovereignty.
The development marks a further deterioration in diplomatic relations between Israel and South Africa amid ongoing tensions linked to international legal and political actions taken against Israel.
