The Defense Ministry issued a sharp rebuke Monday after France banned Israel from official participation in the EUROSATORY defense exhibition, set to take place later this month in Paris. The decision prevents the ministry from setting up a national pavilion at the show.
1+France’s restrictions bar government representatives from attending, block the opening of an Israeli national pavilion, and prohibit defense companies from displaying offensive weapons systems—allowing only air defense products. The limitations apply exclusively to Israel, breaking with standard practices at international exhibitions and treating Israeli firms differently than other countries’ defense industries.
The Defense Ministry called the decision “shameful,” saying it “reeks of political and commercial considerations.” Officials said the move was unsurprising, fitting a consistent pattern in French conduct in recent years that places France “again and again on the wrong side of history.”
1+The ministry added that France, which prides itself on values of liberty and democracy, is acting in complete contradiction to those principles. Officials accused Paris of hiding behind a “fake policy consideration” to exclude Israeli offensive weapons—despite their vastly superior quality to French systems and Israeli technologies’ exceptional performance against terrorist organizations and regimes.