French Exposition Blocks Israeli Arms Pavilions With Wooden Barriers

French authorities blocked the entrances to all booths run by Israeli defense companies at the Eurosatory arms show overnight Sunday, despite the companies having already modified their displays to comply with French conditions. France had barred official Israeli participation, refused a national pavilion, and allowed Israeli firms only to present air defense systems, not offensive weapons.

According to the article, every Israeli company made the required changes, but the exhibition management still sealed all Israeli pavilions with wooden boards. The boards also carried a hostile slogan referring to Controp’s long-range cameras, saying they beat Iranian ballistic missiles but lost to French shortsightedness.

The Defense Ministry condemned the move as “a cynical, unequal and unsurprising step” meant to exclude Israeli technology from an international exhibition, adding that its quality is proven daily across the Middle East. It said Israel would continue promoting defense exports worldwide “despite French attempts to hide Israel’s technological superiority.”

Eurosatory, held every two years near Paris, is described as the world’s leading land and air-land defense exhibition. This year it focuses on advanced warfare, intelligence, cyber, and advanced defense systems. Israeli defense firms have participated regularly since 1998. In 2024, France first barred Israeli companies from the show because of the IDF operation in Rafah during the Iron Swords war, but a French court later overturned the ban, ruling that it was “impermissible discrimination.”