Israeli defense booths blocked at French Eurostory exhibition

France’s Eurostory exhibition administration blocked the booths of Israeli defense companies overnight Monday by covering them with wooden boards, according to the Israeli Defense Ministry. The ministry said the move was carried out despite the companies meeting the requirements set by the French government and displaying only defensive weapons systems.

In a sharply worded statement, the ministry condemned the decision as a deliberate attempt to push Israeli defense technology off an important international stage. It called the action “a cynical, unequal and unsurprising step,” and said the goal was to exclude Israeli companies from one of the world’s leading defense exhibitions despite their operational and technological achievements.

The ministry added that the ban was aimed at keeping “the Israeli technology, whose quality is proven every day across the Middle East,” away from an international fair. It said Israel would continue promoting its defense exports worldwide despite restrictions and other measures directed against it.

The ministry concluded that it would keep advancing Israeli defense exports to new highs, despite what it described as French attempts to hide Israeli technological superiority from the world.