Israeli media revealed inappropriate behavior by the Israeli ambassador to the UAE, Yossi Shelley, leading to calls for his replacement after his involvement in scandalous conduct. An informed Israeli official reported that Shelley crossed a "major red line" during an outing in Abu Dhabi with friends, where he acted in a degrading manner, which the Emirati government learned about and expressed anger to Israel through unofficial channels.

The ambassador's security guards reported the incident to their superiors, while an Israeli official confirmed that harassment of women and physical assault is completely unacceptable. The bar incident was kept from the media for several months, although the UAE informed Israel through an intermediary that Shelley's behavior was unacceptable. Shelley now faces a difficult situation, as no one wants to meet with him, according to Israeli sources, while the Israeli Foreign Ministry declined to comment or allow him to respond.

Reports indicated that Shelley, a former head of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's staff, became angry with his security guards when they insisted on informing him of his desire to leave his residence two hours earlier than scheduled, with his angry remark: "What is this? Am I in prison?". He also transported guests in his car without identifying them, which jeopardized his security and was deemed irresponsible behavior.

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported on discussions between the Israeli Foreign Ministry and Emirati authorities regarding Shelley's behavior, which his hosts considered disrespectful. Israel is currently seeking a new role for Shelley after his dismissal from his position, but the Prime Minister's office denied that there was a decision to return him to Israel. In a statement, the office confirmed that Netanyahu has not yet made that decision.

In a related context, Emirati sources conveyed that if it were not for Shelley's position, the UAE would have ordered him to leave the country. Shelley stated in a statement that he was informed of disrespectful behavior by Emiratis, that it occurred at a private event, and that he took the matter into consideration. A previous incident occurred last September on a flight to New York, where he suddenly hugged a flight attendant, a behavior that journalists deemed inappropriate, especially with the repeated inappropriate touching of women.

Shelley is 65 years old, is close to Netanyahu, and is an activist in the Likud party. He previously served as Israel's ambassador to Brazil, where he was ridiculed in 2019 after attempting to hide the serving of lobster during an official meeting using Photoshop, as it is considered forbidden food in Jewish law.