JUST IN:
Apple has acquired the Israeli artificial intelligence startup Qai, which develops technology that reads facial movements and interprets silent communication.
MEDIA STATEMENT
30 January 2026
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation has informed the Government of the State of Israel of its decision to declare Mr. Ariel Seidman, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Israeli Embassy, persona non grata.
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.
Additional steps will be considered in due course.