Israel Declares South Africa’s Shaun Byneveldt Persona Non Grata in Response to DIRCO’s Actions

• Israel has retaliated following South Africa’s earlier decision and taken action against Shaun Byneveldt
• The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) declared Israel’s chargé d’affaires persona non grata
• DIRCO spokesperson Chrispin Phiri responded to Israel's decision, criticising its stance on Palestine's statehood

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

ISRAEL - In response to South Africa’s recent actions, Israel has named Ambassador Shaun Edward Byneveldt ‘persona non grata’.

Byneveldt is the current South African ambassador to the State of Palestine, but has been asked to leave Israel within 72 hours. The decision comes shortly after the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) informed the Government of the State of Israel that Ariel Seidman was declared persona non grata.

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DIRCO declares Israel's Chargé d'Affaires persona non grata

Seidman is the Chargé d’Affaires of the Israeli Embassy.

Israel reacts to South Africa’s decision against Seidman

According to reports, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar decided that South Africa's senior diplomatic representative should leave Israel. This follows what the Israeli government terms ‘South Africa's false attacks on Israel in the international arena’.

It also described the move against Seidman as baseless and stated that additional steps will be considered later.

DIRCO responds to Israel’s decision

Reacting to Israel’s decision, DIRCO spokesperson Chrispin Phiri, noted that Byneveldt was an ambassador to the State of Palestine, and not Israel. South Africa does not currently have an embassy in Israel.

“Israel's obstructionism forces a farcical arrangement where he is accredited through the very state that occupies his host country. This underscores Israel's refusal to honour international consensus on Palestinian statehood,” Phiri said.

Source: Briefly News