France bans Israel from major weapons show; Jerusalem slams ‘disgraceful decision’

The move is especially striking given Israel’s widely recognized status as one of the world’s premier hubs for technological innovation, especially for military use.

By The Algemeiner

France has banned Israel from participating in the Eurosatory defense exhibition, one of the world’s largest arms shows, which is set to begin in Paris later this month.

According to Israel’s defense ministry, French authorities have barred Israeli government officials from attending the event, which showcases military systems and other security innovations from around the world, and imposed restrictions on companies from the Jewish state in attendance.

“The French decision encompasses: a ban on government representatives attending the exhibition; a ban on opening an Israeli national pavilion; and a restriction limiting Israeli defense industries to displaying air defense products only, with offensive systems explicitly excluded,” the Israeli ministry announced in a statement.

“As a result, the [ministry] will be unable to participate in the exhibition or establish a national pavilion,” the statement added, noting France’s “policy is applied selectively and discriminatorily relative to other participating nations — in direct violation of the established norms governing international defense exhibition.”

The move is especially striking given Israel’s widely recognized status as one of the world’s premier hubs for technological innovation, especially for military use.

“This is a disgraceful decision, one that reeks of political and commercial calculation … It fits a deeply troubling pattern in French conduct in recent years — a pattern that has consistently placed France on the wrong side of history,” the Israeli defense ministry said in its statement.

“[France] is hiding behind a pretense of political justification to exclude Israeli offensive defense systems from an international forum — systems that have proven far superior to their French counterparts, and that have demonstrated exceptional precision and effectiveness against terrorist organizations and regimes threatening not only Israel, but regional and global stability at large.”

Reuters reported that France’s defense ministry later confirmed the announcement, saying Israeli companies would be limited to showing equipment and materials related to air and missile defense without elaborating on its reasons.

France has been a fierce critic of Israel’s military campaigns against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon in the years since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel.

In 2024, France barred Israeli companies from taking part in the 2024 Eurosatory arms exhibition over the war in Gaza. However, a French court overturned the decision, determining it would lead to discrimination. Still, many Israeli defense firms opted not to attend.

France similarly banned them from the Paris Air Show last June.

Months later, French President Emmanuel Macron recognized a Palestinian state, a moved decried by Israel as a “reward for terrorism.”

This year, Macron’s government has lambasted the scale of the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, which backs both Hamas and Hezbollah.

In April, the Israel defense ministry halted all defense procurement from France in response to what it described as French measures that “harmed Israel’s security.” These measures included prohibiting Israeli aircraft from using French airspace during the war with Iran.

Eurosatory begins in Villepinte, in the Paris region, on June 15.