The French government officially informed Israel's Ministry of Defense on Monday evening of its decision to prohibit the State of Israel's official participation in the prestigious EUROSATORY defense and security exhibition, which is scheduled to take place later this month in Paris.
As a result of the decision, Israel's Ministry of Defense will not be able to participate in the international event and has been barred from establishing the Israeli national pavilion, which has traditionally been considered one of the exhibition's main attractions.
The French restrictions are sweeping and include three key measures: a complete ban on the participation of official Israeli government representatives, a prohibition on establishing a national pavilion, and an unprecedented restriction preventing Israeli defense companies-such as Elbit Systems, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, and Israel Aerospace Industries-from displaying offensive weapons systems. According to the French decision, the companies will only be permitted to exhibit air-defense products.
Israeli defense officials emphasized that they view the move as severe discrimination and an unequal policy applied exclusively against Israel, in contradiction to accepted norms at international defense exhibitions.
The Ministry of Defense reacted angrily and with unusual sharpness to the announcement from Paris, describing it as a surrender to political pressure and anti-Israel motives.
"This is a disgraceful decision that reeks of political and commercial calculation, and unfortunately, it does not come as a surprise," the ministry said. "This decision aligns with a troubling and consistent trend in French conduct in recent years, repeatedly placing France on the wrong side of history."
Israeli defense officials also criticized the French government, accusing it of hypocrisy and of attempting to harm leading competitors in the global arms market.
"France, which prides itself on the values of liberty and democracy, is acting in complete contradiction to the values it claims to represent," the ministry stated. "It is hiding behind a supposedly political consideration in order to exclude Israeli offensive weapons systems from an international exhibition, despite the fact that their quality is far superior to their French counterparts."