French authorities tighten restrictions on Israeli exhibitors at Paris arms fair

French organizers of the Eurosatory 2026 defense exhibition in Paris have escalated restrictions on several Israeli companies, telling representatives on Monday evening that access to their booths would be blocked from the next day and that the booths would be fully closed. The companies were also told they could only dismantle equipment on Wednesday. In addition, some exhibitors said their participant badges were revoked and replaced with visitor passes.

The fair opened this week after Israel was removed from the event’s official guide, and part of the area meant for the Israeli pavilion was turned into a cafeteria or storage space, as happened two years ago. On Sunday night, a French expert delegation walked through the halls and decided which displays could remain visible and which had to be covered, but by Monday morning some items that had been cleared overnight were still hidden. In one case, staff at the show blacked out part of a photo at Avnon’s stand, leading company spokeswoman Stacey Dagan to say that inspectors had painted over an image of a surveillance camera at 2 a.m., even though a competing version was on display nearby. The obscured image was not the camera itself, but the barbed wire around it, which identified it as a border-control, defensive product.

Avnon responded by placing a giant monster sculpture made from machine parts at its stand, while also being forced to cover two interceptors approved only the night before. CEO Tomer Avnon briefly added two Star of David symbols to the coverings, but organizers ordered them removed. Kontron CEO Doron Zalz described a similar pattern, saying inspectors repeatedly demanded removals, then the company received a closure notice at midnight. He said the stand was covered overnight, foreign delegations were barred, and even the electricity was cut, though the company managed to reconnect. The booths remain covered, but visitors can still enter through the curtain over the entrance.

About 35 Israeli companies are participating, and access has been blocked for Aeronautics, Orbit, Kontron, Gilat, Merav-Dolphin, Smart Shooter, Amicell, Epsilor, Source/SOS, Paxis, and OSG. Despite the pressure, Israeli business activity continues in the aisles, and regular customers are still making deals. At the former site of the Israeli pavilion, now a cafeteria, Hebrew is still heard in commercial conversations. Israel’s ambassador to France, Joshua Zarka, called the French handling of Israel’s participation “a disgrace,” saying it reflected unfair competition against Israeli industries. He argued that France is losing markets and is responding by harming Israel’s ability to exhibit and close deals. Aeronautics CEO Danny Selsky said the larger Israeli firms whose booths stayed open, including Elbit, Rafael, and Israel Aerospace Industries, are showing solidarity and hosting the restricted companies. He added that Aeronautics had complied with every instruction, but its booth was closed Sunday at 11 p.m. Rafael, meanwhile, is showing a laser designator that locks onto a target, a product it was not allowed to display at the last fair two years ago.