Villepinte (France) (AFP) – A dozen Israeli company stands were shut down Monday at a major international defence and security exhibition held outside Paris, sparking outrage from authorities in Israel. Tensions have persisted in French-Israeli relations, with France recognising Palestinian statehood last year and two far-right Israeli ministers banned from entering the country in recent weeks.
The stands at the Eurosatory arms and security trade show were “closed due to non-compliance with participation conditions set by the French authorities,” the organiser, Coges Events, said in a statement to AFP. It said it was required to enforce decisions of the French authorities. “As a result, 12 booths had to be closed,” Charles Beaudouin, head of Coges Events, said in the statement.
France has banned the display of Israeli offensive weapons at the 2026 edition of the exhibition and restricted the display of Israeli companies “to equipment and products exclusively related to air defence and ballistic missile defence capabilities,” he said. The Israeli defence ministry argued the Israeli pavilions were boarded up “despite these companies having met the French government’s outrageous demands.” The ministry accused France of trying “to conceal Israeli technological superiority from the world.”
While the booths of three major Israeli defence contractors including Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael remained open on Monday, none displayed weapon models in public view, unlike exhibitors from other countries, an AFP journalist saw. Israel’s ambassador to France called the French authorities’ treatment of Israeli companies unacceptable. “France is losing a large share of this international market,” Joshua Zarka told AFP. “And the way it is responding is by engaging in competition that is inadequate and frankly unfair.”
At his now-closed booth, Amit Manor, chief executive of Amit Industries, said he was “quite surprised” by the decision. He said his company produces electric batteries used in drones, communication systems, and robots. He said a team from the French government had previously given him a go-ahead, but he then was informed that the “booth is closed.” Eurosatory is taking place from June 15 to 19 at an exhibition centre north of Paris. Israeli defence firms were banned from exhibiting at the trade show in 2024.
© 2024 AFP
