South Africa has expelled Israeli diplomat Ariel Sidman, declaring him persona non grata for alleged violations of diplomatic norms. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation announced on Friday that Sidman, the chargé d’affaires at the Israeli embassy, was given 72 hours to leave the country. Authorities accused him of actions that challenged South Africa’s sovereignty and breached acceptable diplomatic conduct.

According to the department’s statement, Sidman allegedly launched insulting attacks on President Cyril Ramaphosa through social media and deliberately failed to inform the ministry about a purported visit by senior Israeli officials. The statement described his behavior as a severe abuse of diplomatic privileges and a fundamental violation of the Vienna Convention, undermining trust and protocol essential to bilateral relations.

The department urged the Israeli government to ensure that its future diplomatic activities respect the principles of the Republic of South Africa and established norms of international engagement.