Latest news with #Shelley
Yemen Online
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Yemen Online
Official: Israeli envoy to UAE ‘crossed a huge red line' in Abu Dhabi bar
New details emerged on Wednesday about the conduct of Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Yossi Shelley, after Israeli television reported that the political appointee would be replaced. Shelley crossed 'a huge red line in a place like Abu Dhabi,' an official with knowledge of the details told The Times of Israel. Channel 12 news reported last week that Shelley had been out on a Friday night in Abu Dhabi with several friends and acted in an 'undignified' manner. The Emirati government heard about the alleged incident and communicated its anger to Israel through unofficial channels. 'Shelley's behavior was not acceptable and even harms our honor,' the Gulf state reportedly told Israel through an intermediary. Shelley's bodyguards witnessed the incident and reported it to their superiors, according to Channel 12. An official who worked in the Gulf told The Times of Israel that the Emiratis did not want Shelley as ambassador. Since their priority is defense technology, they wanted a former senior defense official, such as Avi Dichter or a retired general. 'He's a lame duck now,' said the official. 'No one will meet with him.' The Foreign Ministry declined to comment or make Shelley available. The Kan public broadcaster first reported last week on the tension between the ambassador and the Emirati government. A subsequent Channel 12 report quoted three sources familiar with the incident as saying that Shelley 'crossed the boundaries of personal space.' Kan reported Wednesday that Shelley, former chief of staff to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, fumed at members of his security detail when they insisted that he give them two hours' notice before leaving his residence in the evening, saying, 'What am I, in prison?' He also loaded guests into his car without them being identified by his security detail, the report said, and compromised his security by announcing that he was Israel's envoy in situations where it was unnecessary to do so. The Foreign Ministry and Emiratis both talked to Shelley about his behavior, which his hosts saw as disrespectful, Kan reported. According to the Wednesday report, Netanyahu associates are already looking for a new role to give Shelley once he is stripped of his ambassadorship. The Prime Minister's Office denied this, however, saying in a statement: 'Contrary to reports, Prime Minister Netanyahu has not decided to return the Israeli ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Yossi Shelley, to Israel.' Last week, an Emirati source described as close to the government and familiar with the details, told Channel 12: 'This incident did not showcase the behavior expected of someone who is supposed to symbolize the tightening bonds between the two countries, and certainly not someone who is supposed to represent their shared interests.' Were it not for Shelley's position, the UAE would have ordered him to leave the country, the source said. In a statement last week, Shelley said he had been made aware of conduct that the Emiratis interpreted as disrespectful. He stressed that it took place at a private event and was not related to his work as ambassador. In light of the concern raised, he said he has considered the matter. In a previous, unrelated incident last September, on a flight to New York, Shelley suddenly hugged one of the female flight attendants on Netanyahu's Wing of Zion plane while she was moving through the journalists' section. 'Shelley is a friendly and sympathetic person, but more than once he has crossed lines and this is not legitimate, especially when it comes to touching,' said a journalist in the delegation. 'I have seen him touch women inappropriately more than once, whether it is a flight attendant on Wing of Zion or a journalist whose shoulders he hugs and pulls her to him. This is inappropriate and can definitely be disturbing.' Shelley, 65, is a Netanyahu confidant and Likud activist. He served as ambassador to Brazil from 2017 to 2021, and was also director general of the Beersheba Municipality. Shelley was ridiculed in 2019 during his stint in Brazil for attempting to conceal the fact that lobster — one of the foods forbidden by Jewish dietary laws — was served during a meeting with the country's then-president Jair Bolsonaro, by photoshopping an image of the meal. He was barred from public office for three years, from 2012 to 2015, after admitting he had not declared his political affiliation despite being a Likud member while he acted as chairman of the Israel Postal Company's board of directors and director general of the Beersheba municipality.
L'Orient-Le Jour
15 hours ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Netanyahu's office denies recall of Israeli ambassador to UAE
BEIRUT — Israel has denied reports that its ambassador to the UAE, Yossi Shelley, was recalled over alleged inappropriate behavior at a bar months ago, according to the Times of Israel. "Contrary to what has been reported, Prime Minister Netanyahu has not decided to recall Israel's ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Yossi Shelley," a statement said. The news of Shelley's recall had been reported by Israel's Channel 12. Israeli media outlets reported last week that Shelley had gone out on a Friday night in Abu Dhabi with several friends and behaved in a "disgraceful" manner and "overstepped personal boundaries." The ambassador responded to these reports by stating that the incident took place at a private event unrelated to his work as ambassador. According to Channel 12, the Emiratis made it known to Israel through indirect channels that his behavior was "unacceptable and even harmed (their) dignity." "If it had been someone else, we wouldn't have allowed him to come back" to the country, an Emirati source reportedly told the channel.
Middle East Eye
a day ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israeli ambassador to UAE being sent home over 'undignified' behaviour at bar: Report
Israel's ambassador to the UAE is being summoned home from his post over 'undignified' behaviour at an Emirati bar that upset the UAE, according to Hebrew media reports. Israel's government was forced to recall its ambassador to the Gulf state, Yossef Avraham Shelley, after the UAE said it was no longer willing to accept him as ambassador, Israel's Channel 12 news reported on Tuesday. Hebrew news site N12 reported earlier that Shelley antagonised the UAE by showing up to a bar in the Gulf state with several Israelis, including women, and acting in a way that UAE officials told Israel was 'unacceptable and even harmed our dignity'. The UAE normalised ties with Israel in 2020 as part of the Abraham Accords brokered by US President Donald Trump. Abu Dhabi has emerged as Israel's closest Arab partner in the region amid an uproar over Israel's war on Gaza, which leading human rights groups and scholars have declared is a genocide. The UAE is the one Arab country that Israel's foreign minister has been able to visit since the war in Gaza erupted. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar travelled to the UAE in January 2025 before a temporary ceasefire in Gaza was reached. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The UAE's move would be remarkable in its own right. The tiny Gulf state is home to 10 million people, of whom just 10 percent are Emirati citizens. The country counts South Asian labourers, British expats, Russian oligarchs and flashy influencers among its residents. Dubai is known for being the Gulf region's nightlife capital. Hebrew media reported last week that Shelley was out on a Friday night in Abu Dhabi with friends and acted in an 'undignified' manner that 'crossed the boundaries of personal space' on Friday evening. Shelley previously served as Israeli ambassador to Brazil, where he was at the centre of two scandals. In one case, Shelley was photographed having dinner with former Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro. The image of their dinner on Instagram appeared to show lobster scribbled out in black. Jewish kosher diet rules prohibit the consumption of shellfish. In 2023, Haaretz reported that Shelley personally responded to an Israeli visa inquiry by a Brazilian woman. He told her in correspondence and in video chats that she needed to meet him in person before he would help her obtain a visa to visit Israel. In a video call with her, Shelley appeared shirtless and lying on a bed. 'When I turned on the camera, I saw he was lying on the bed, sweating,' the woman recounted. 'He said he'd just returned from a walk. It was very inappropriate. I asked him if he'd rather talk later, and he said, 'No, let's talk now.' He asked to meet with me in person and invited me to dinner in Brasilia. I felt pressured and harassed.' Shelley was later named the director general of the prime minister's office. Shelley was named ambassador to the UAE in November 2024. 'Yossi served as a very, very effective ambassador in Brazil,' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the time. 'He made connections there not only with the president of Brazil, but also with the Brazilian media and did a wonderful job there. He also did important and difficult work in the Prime Minister's Office during this period.'
BBC News
7 days ago
- BBC News
Runway Devon tortoise found after 16-day adventure
A leopard tortoise has finally been apprehended after 16 days on the what might be the slowest jailbreak ever, Shelley, a 20-year-old, 40lb (18kg) reptile vanished from her pen in Shillingford Abbot, near Exeter, on 9 was discovered in a farmer's field near the Orange Elephant, close to the A379 near Kennford, about 2.8 miles (4.5km) away as the crow flies."She was spotted by the farmer who thought she was a big rock," said owner Nick Phillips. "Luckily, he realised rocks don't usually move and gave us a call." Shelley returned home in good spirits, although with a suspicious lack of appetite."We tried runner beans, cabbage, cucumber, the full Monty," Mr Phillips said."She wasn't interested. I've no idea what she's been eating, but clearly it wasn't salad."The escape route had now been reinforced."There was a little chink in the armour, just some chicken wire," he said."That's all patched up now. If she wants out again, she's going to have to give it some really serious thought."
Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Coronation Street icon Bill Ward reveals most 'horrific' scene he had to film
Bill Ward starred as the menacing Charlie Stubbs on Coronation Street in the 2000s and has now looked back on a scene which he found particularly 'horrific' to film Bill Ward has looked back on a 'horrific' scene he had to film for Coronation Street during his stint on the ITV soap. The actor, 58, starred as the villainous Charlie Stubbs on the ITV soap opera in the 2000s and spoke out on the infamous storyline in which he abused barmaid Shelley Unwin (Sally Lindsay). The harrowing plot saw Shelley become the victim of coercive control, but Bill noted that that there was only time he was physically violent with her. In the scene, which aired in January 2005, builder Charlie is accusing Shelley of blabbing to her best friend Sunita Alahan (Shobna Gulati) about his dodgy invoices. Despite protesting her innocence, Charlie pins Shelley up against a wall and rips out her earrings and spits on them after throwing them on the floor. The episode ended with a shocked Shelley noticing blood coming from her earlobes, and now Bill has admitted just how tough it was to create that moment on set. He said: "What we decided very early on about him was that it wasn't about violence. It was important that it had violence in his locker but what it was more about was control. I talked long and hard with Women's Aid about that. It was about controlling behaviour, so when the violence when it is used was a tool for coercive control. During an appearance on the Conversation Street podcast, he added: "So there was only one kind of specifically violent moment where he rips out Shelley's earrings, which was horrific to film but also brilliant because in that moment you saw what he was capable of, and Shelley knew. You don't need to do that again because you've got that hanging over the character for the dynamic of the relationship between the characters." Charlie eventually got engaged to Shelley, but, amid tensions with her mother Bev (Susie Blake), she decided to jilt him at the altar to bring their relationship to a dramatic close. He then went on to have an relationship with Maria Sutherland (Samia Longchambon) and attempted to drown David Platt (Jack P Shepherd) when he threatened to reveal the truth to his girlfriend Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford). They split up, but things came to a fatal head when Tracy and Charlie rekindled their romance, and she decided to claim that he was abusing her as an act of revenge. In the end, he discovered her plot and tried to call things off for a final time but she retaliated him by hitting him over the head with a large ornament. When Charlie died from his injuries in hospital, Tracy was sentenced to life in prison but was later released after the evidence in her trial was discredited, and returned to the cobbles just after the programme's 50th anniversary in 2010. Since his stint on the cobbles, Bill went on to play James Barton in Emmerdale, and has also had an illustrious career in theatre with major roles in Legally Blonde, The Full Monty and is currently on the road with The Shawshank Redemption. But Bill, whose time as Charlie has recently been re-aired during episodes of Classic Coronation Street on ITV3, still looks back fondly on his signature role. He added: "I hadn't done much telly when I started doing Charlie. So, for me, he was a real opportunity. And I loved it, I learned so much. From all of the crew about making television, but also about acting and so in that kind of a way, it is a job that is a big part of me and is very close to my heart." Despite the dark nature of his character, Bill found joy in the job at the time as he noted: "It was brilliant fun to do. I loved it, and I am very fond of it still. He was just interesting, great fun to play." Bill's comments on the impactful storyline with Charlie and Shelley comes shortly after his former co-star Sally, who has gone onto huge success with dramas such as The Madame Blanc Mysteries, admitted that she hasn't watched since she left in 2006. After surviving her domestic abuse storyline, it was a happy ending for Shelley as she left Weatherfield to run a country pub in the Peak District, but Sally told The Mirror: "I don't really watch them anymore because I left 20 years ago." When asked why, she explained: "Because I was in them, so you tend to not bother when you leave." Back in 2018, Sally revealed that she couldn't face watching Coronation Street any more because so much had changed, and 10 years later, she's stuck to her decision. Back then she said: "I don't actually watch Corrie. It's difficult watching it as it's changed so much – it's like looking back at an old place of work. "The dark storylines happened when I was there. We got 20 million viewers doing it with Richard, and that was gruesome. People will always moan – it's too violent or it's not as violent as it should be. If people didn't want it, they wouldn't make it. So there's obviously a need for it – but there's also a massive need for comedy."
