A moral scandal involving the Israeli ambassador to Abu Dhabi puts Israel and the UAE in an embarrassing position

On Tuesday the Israeli media reported that Israel’s ambassador to the UAE, Yossi Shelley, is involved in moral issues, sparking outrage in Abu Dhabi amid unannounced Israeli moves to return him to Tel Aviv.

Channel 12 reported that Shelley, who has served as Israel’s ambassador to Abu Dhabi since November 2024 and previously served as director-general of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, “will soon be returned to Israel after engaging in unacceptable behavior while in a bar in the company of Israeli men and women”.

According to the Israeli channel, the incident dates back several months, when Shelley was seen on a Friday evening in a bar behaving in a manner described as unusual and inconsistent with the standards expected of an ambassador.

The Israeli ambassador behaved in a manner unbecoming of his position, as the incident represented a violation of moral, ethical, and personal values.

Ambassador Shelley’s guards witnessed the incident and later informed their superiors and Israeli security authorities of what they had witnessed.

The Israeli channel reported that the incident sparked an uproar in diplomatic and political circles in Israel, after Emirati authorities, through unofficial channels, sent a clear message to Israel that they no longer wanted their ambassador, stressing that his behavior was unacceptable and an affront to their dignity.

These developments prompted circles close to Netanyahu to begin searching for a replacement for him.

It’s not known though, whether the UAE authorities have documentation of the incident.

Channel 12 quoted an Emirati source close to the government and familiar with the details as saying, “The incident in question doesn’t represent the behavior expected of someone supposed to represent the growing relations between the two countries, and certainly not of someone supposed to represent their shared interests”.

For his part, the Israeli Walla website quoted Netanyahu’s office as saying that he hadn’t yet decided whether to return the Israeli ambassador, who has been implicated in moral issues, to Israel.

Yossi Shelley, born in 1957 in Beersheba, is an Israeli businessman and former ambassador to Brazil.

This crisis comes amid the officially promoted strong strategic relations between Israel and the UAE since the signing of the normalization agreement on August 13, 2020.

Although the two sides signed cooperation agreements in various fields, including agriculture and trade, minor issues, such as the entry of a shipment of doesn’t intended for sale, revealed organizational disagreements and poor coordination.

On June 21, 2024, Channel 12 reported that Israel had prevented the entry of 100 kilograms of dates with pits for use by the embassy and the ambassador’s residence.

The decision angered the UAE, which asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to resolve the issue.

However, the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture hardened its position and refused to provide a solution.