US Condemns South Africa’s Move to Expel Israeli Diplomat
"South Africa's recent decision to expel Israel's top diplomat is another example of its poor foreign policy choices," US State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on US social media company X on Tuesday.
Pigott accused Pretoria of ousting Seidman for "calling out" the African National Congress party's alleged ties to Hamas and "other antisemitic radicals," arguing that the move prioritizes "grievance politics over the good of South Africa and its citizens."
The South African Foreign Ministry announced Friday that Seidman had been declared persona non grata over "a series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice which pose a direct challenge to South Africa's sovereignty," including remarks deemed insulting to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Pretoria additionally imposed a 72-hour deadline for Seidman's departure from the country.
In a reciprocal diplomatic strike the same day, Tel Aviv declared South Africa's senior diplomatic representative persona non grata, mandating his exit within 72 hours.
Seidman has functioned as Israel's charge d'affaires since November 2023, when Israel recalled its ambassador following South Africa's withdrawal of its diplomats from Tel Aviv over Israel's genocidal war in Gaza.
South Africa, which upholds diplomatic relations with both Israel and Palestine, filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in December 2023, accusing it of violating its obligations under the Genocide Convention in its actions against Palestinians in Gaza.
Subsequently, the court has issued multiple provisional measures ordering Israel to take steps to prevent acts of genocide.
More than 71,000 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, have been killed and over 171,000 others injured in the Israeli war since October 2023.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
