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Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Report: Israeli ambassador to UAE being sent home over ‘undignified’ behavior
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Israel’s ambassador to the United Arab Emirates is being summoned home from his post, Channel 12 news reports, after an incident several months ago in which reportedly upset his hosts by acting inappropriately.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Office denies the report, which claimed that the Emirates was no longer willing to have Yossi Shelley in the post due to his unspecified alleged behavior at a bar earlier this year.
“Contrary to reports, Prime Minister Netanyahu has not decided to recall Israel’s ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Yossi Shelley,” it says in a statement.
Hebrew media reported last week that Shelley was out on a Friday night in Abu Dhabi with several friends and acted in an “undignified” manner and “crossed the boundaries of personal space.”
Shelley responded to the reports last week by saying that the incident occurred at a private event unrelated to his work as an ambassador.
According to Channel 12, the Emiratis made it known to Israel via backchannels that his behavior was “unacceptable and even harmed our dignity.”
“If we were talking about someone else, we wouldn’t have allowed him back” in the country, an Emirati source is quoted as telling the channel.
The Times of Israel Community.