Israel evacuates diplomatic staff from UAE over ‘security threat’
Security officials in Tel Aviv cited concerns over ‘growing motivation’ to strike Israeli individuals as the genocide in Gaza rages on
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has ordered the evacuation of most envoys and family members from the Israeli embassy in the UAE, following a heightened travel warning issued by the National Security Council (NSC) for Israeli citizens in the country.
The NSC statement said, “emphasizing this travel warning given our understanding that terrorist organizations (the Iranians, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Global Jihad) are increasing their efforts to harm Israel.”
The council warned of possible attempts to target Israeli and Jewish individuals in the UAE, especially around Jewish holidays and Shabbat.
“It is assessed that there is a growing motivation to seek revenge after Operation ‘Like a Lion,’ and especially following Hamas's ‘starvation campaign’ in Gaza,” the NSC statement said.
Israel's public broadcaster KAN reported that those ordered to leave included Israeli Ambassador to the UAE Yossi Shelley, who is said to be at risk of losing his post due to repeated complaints of misconduct.
Shelley’s removal reportedly followed an incidentin which he arrived at a bar in Abu Dhabi on a Friday night with a group of Israelis, including women, and behaved in a way that Emirati officials described as “unacceptable and even harmed our dignity.”
UAE authorities subsequently informed Israel that Shelley was no longer welcome in the country.
Shelley had previously faced allegations of inappropriate behavior during his tenure as ambassador to Brazil in 2023, when Haaretzreported that he responded to a visa inquiry from a Brazilian woman by telling her she would need to meet him in person before he would assist.
During a video call, he appeared shirtless and lying on a bed. “I felt pressured and harassed at that time,” the woman said.
Despite the scandal, Shelley was later appointed director general of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and named ambassador to the UAE in November 2024.
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