France Restricts Israeli Defense Firms at Naval Trade Show

France has imposed new restrictions on Israeli defense companies participating in the Euronaval 2026 international trade show, which focuses on the military naval industry and opens Tuesday, November 3, in Villepinte, near Paris. French authorities have informed event organizers that private Israeli exhibitors will face particularly restrictive conditions, notably prohibiting them from freely displaying offensive weaponry. This decision has angered the Israeli Ministry of Defense, with officials denouncing a systematic policy aimed at excluding Israeli military technologies from major international trade shows for political reasons. The new measures come as several Israeli companies planned to unveil their latest innovations at Euronaval, considered a key global event for the naval defense industry. Elbit Systems, an Israeli group, was set to present its autonomous underwater drone capabilities for the first time, following its recent acquisition of International Submarine Engineering (ISE), which has delivered over 250 autonomous underwater vehicles globally. Elbit also intended to exhibit its Seagull unmanned surface vessels and other naval systems. This French decision follows a series of restrictions imposed on Israeli defense manufacturers over the past two years. In October 2024, Israeli companies were initially excluded from Euronaval before a Paris commercial court overturned the ban. At the Eurosatory trade show last June, France prohibited any official Israeli government representation and the creation of a national pavilion, allowing only the exhibition of anti-aircraft and ballistic missile protection equipment. Wooden panels were even erected in front of stands of companies like Smart Shooter, Controp, Aeronautics, and Marom, blocking access to some. A controversial precedent occurred at the Paris Air Show in June 2025, when black partitions were erected overnight around the stands of Israel Aerospace Industries, Rafael, and Elbit Systems. Israeli companies have also been informed they will not receive significant exhibition space at the next Paris Air Show in 2027, with organizers citing a lack of availability.