France Blocks Israeli Defense Exhibits at Eurosatory, Sparking Diplomatic Outcry

The Eurosatory defense expo in Paris, which opened Monday, turned into a major diplomatic embarrassment for Israel after French authorities blocked Israeli exhibitors from showing their booths. About 15 Israeli defense companies had arrived and met all of France’s requirements, but overnight their stands were covered with wooden boards and drywall partitions, according to the report.

Israel’s Defense Ministry said the blocking was done by the exhibition management under instructions from President Emmanuel Macron’s government. France had already imposed sweeping limits on Israeli participation, including a ban on a national pavilion, no official Defense Ministry delegation, and a blanket prohibition on displaying what it called offensive systems. In practice, only air-defense systems were allowed. A French defense attaché in Paris, Col. Sagi Fink, said the decisions were made at the senior political level in Paris, and French officials reportedly told Israel’s ambassador, Joshua Zarka, about the planned restrictions.

The French move came after Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which France considers its closest Middle East ally. Even after the Israeli companies complied and brought only defensive systems, their booths were still fully blocked. The Defense Ministry called it a “cynical, unequal” move aimed at excluding Israeli technology from an international exhibition, and said the technology has proven its effectiveness across the Middle East.

Israeli officials said the incident is the harshest political confrontation so far with the French government and goes far beyond a commercial dispute over Eurosatory. They also pointed to a similar pattern at last year’s Salon du Bourget air show, where Israeli firms were placed behind drywall barriers. The Defense Ministry said it would keep promoting Israeli defense exports worldwide despite French attempts to limit them.