The French government has ordered the blocking of access to the stands of five Israeli arms manufacturers exhibiting "offensive weapons" at the Le Bourget air show near Paris, sources close to the matter said today.
The stands of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Rafael, Uvision, Elbit and Aeronautics were surrounded by tall black tarpaulins, effectively blocking them on the first day of the world's largest air show.
They displayed "offensive weapons, such as those likely to be used in the Gaza Strip, and thus violate the agreement with the Israeli authorities," said a French source close to the matter.
Rafael, Elbit and IAI produce bombs and guided missiles, while Juvision and Aeronautica produce drones. Four other Israeli stands, as well as the stand of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, remained open.
The Israeli Defense Ministry strongly condemned the decision, which it said creates "segregation" for Israeli exhibitors.
"Such a scandalous and unprecedented decision appears to have a political and commercial background, and comes at a time when Israel is waging a necessary and just war to eliminate the nuclear and ballistic threat facing the Middle East, Europe and the entire world," Israeli authorities said.
The organizers announced that they "implemented the instructions of the competent French authorities before the opening of the fair and that this concerns the removal of certain equipment presented at the Israeli stands. The companies in question are nevertheless authorized to exhibit."
"Dialogue is ongoing so that the different parties can find a favorable outcome to the situation," the organizers added.
The French government has not reacted yet.
The presence of Israeli arms manufacturers has been the subject of regular heated debates between Paris and Tel Aviv since the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, which was triggered by the Palestinian Hamas movement's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Israeli arms manufacturers were prevented from exhibiting at the Eurosatory land defense exhibition in the spring of 2024, and then the judiciary, at the last minute, granted permission to exhibit at the Euronaval trade fair in the fall.
The district court in Bobigny, a suburb of Paris, last week rejected a request by various associations seeking to ban Israeli companies from participating in the Le Bourget trade fair.
On the black canvas tarpaulin surrounding Raphael's booth, an exhibitor wrote a message in yellow chalk in English and French this morning.
"Behind these walls are hidden the best defense systems used by many countries. These systems today protect the State of Israel. The French government, in the name of discrimination, is trying to hide them from you," the message, which the organizers then covered with new tarpaulins, reads.
The decision of the French authorities was also condemned by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
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