Israeli defense industry booths walled off at leading French arms exhibition |
Wooden barriers have been erected around Israeli defense industry booths by event organizers at the Eurosatory exhibition in Paris, the Defense Ministry said on Monday, despite the companies complying with French restrictions requiring Israeli companies to display only defensive weapons systems.
In a statement, the ministry accused organizers of taking a “cynical” and “discriminatory” step aimed at excluding Israeli technology from the international defense expo.
Eurosatory is one of the world’s leading defense exhibitions, showcasing military systems and other security innovations from across the globe.
“The Defense Ministry will continue to promote Israeli defense exports around the world to new heights, despite French efforts to conceal Israel’s technological superiority from the global community,” Monday’s statement read.
There was no immediate comment from Eurosatory or the French government.
Earlier this month, the Defense Ministry said French authorities barred Israel from establishing a national pavilion or sending government representatives to Eurosatory, while allowing Israeli firms to exhibit only air defense systems and banning the display of offensive weapons.
At the time, the Defense Ministry panned the exhibition organizers’ decision, saying that the move was driven by “political and commercial calculation,” accusing France of applying discriminatory restrictions to Israel that are not imposed on other participating countries “in direct violation of the........