The Paris Air Show kicked off Monday amid a hot conflict between Israel and Iran, as well as Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, where Israel is accused of war crimes. Israeli weapons-makers have previously been banned from other French arms shows including Eurosatory and Euronaval.
Last week, a French court dismissed a petition by NGOs to ban Israeli companies from the Paris Air Show because of what they said was the country’s participation in “international crimes.”
However, French authorities told their Israeli counterparts weeks ago that no offensive weapons could be showcased, a French official told POLITICO, adding that the Israeli ambassador to France agreed to the rules. Monday’s row comes amid increasingly strained relations between the French and Israeli governments.
Out of nine Israeli exhibitors, four complied with the requirements while five others — Elbit, Israel Aerospace Industries, Rafael, UVision and Aeronautics — haven’t. They will be able to exhibit once they respect the rules, the French official said.
Tommaso Lecca and Jamie Dettmer contributed to this report.