The management of the Eurosatory defense exhibition in Paris blocked Israeli company booths with wooden boards overnight, even after the firms met French government demands to display only defensive weaponry, Israel's Defense Ministry said, calling the move cynical and discriminatory.
Overnight, the management of the Eurosatory defense exhibition in Paris physically blocked Israeli company booths with wooden boards, despite the firms having complied with earlier French government demands to display only defensive weaponry, according to the Defense Ministry. The ministry condemned the move as cynical and discriminatory, vowing to continue promoting Israeli defense exports worldwide.
This development comes after the Defense Ministry had already reported at 10:22 Jerusalem that Israeli companies had met the French directive limiting exhibits to defensive systems, making the overnight boarding a further escalation beyond that requirement. The story first broke at the same hour, with the ministry's initial statement confirming the blocking; the ministry's condemnation was then expanded in a subsequent version published at 10:22 Jerusalem. As The Zioneer reported in the same thread, the Israeli firms had complied with the earlier French demand before the exhibition management took the additional step of physically sealing the booths.
The incident is the latest in a pattern of friction between France and Israel over defense trade, as The Zioneer has previously noted. The Israeli government has emphasized its commitment to advancing defense exports despite what it views as discriminatory French actions.
The ministry's statement did not specify which companies were affected or whether any compensation was offered. No official response has yet come from the French government or from the exhibition organizers.
3 developments
- DevelopingIndustrialist leader urges retaliatory measures against France over defense firms' exclusion from arms fair
- DevelopingIsrael's Foreign Ministry condemns France's ban on Smotrich entry
- StrongIsrael leads 15-firm defense delegation to Berlin air show as exports hit all-time high
- DevelopingFrance accuses Israeli firm Blackcore of election meddling
Source and signal
- Internal intake