Israel Furious as France Shuts Down Four Israeli Weapons Stands at Paris Airshow 2025
A major diplomatic row has erupted between Israel and France after French authorities shut down four Israeli defence company stands at the prestigious Paris Airshow. The decision, which has drawn sharp criticism from Israeli officials and defence executives, comes amid growing tensions between the two countries over Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
According to reports, France ordered the removal of offensive or kinetic weapons from display at the event — an instruction that several Israeli companies reportedly refused to follow. As a result, the stands of major Israeli defence firms including Elbit Systems, Rafael, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), and Uvision were closed.
The move was made following a directive from a French security agency. Although three smaller Israeli stalls and a stand representing the Israeli Ministry of Defence remained open, the main industry pavilions displaying actual military hardware were ordered to shut down.
Israel’s Defence Ministry reacted angrily, calling the decision “outrageous and unprecedented.” In a strongly worded statement, it accused France of using political motives to block Israeli-made weapons from competing with domestic French defence products at the show.
“This decision reeks of policy-driven and commercial considerations,” said the Israeli defence ministry. “The French are hiding behind political excuses to exclude Israeli offensive systems from the exhibition.”
Adding to the controversy, the Israeli stands were reportedly concealed overnight behind tall black walls erected by exhibition organisers — a move that Israel Aerospace Industries’ CEO, Boaz Levy, compared to the segregation of Jews in Europe’s darker chapters of history.
French President Emmanuel Macron had earlier made it clear that while France supports Israel's right to defend itself, it does not back Israeli strikes on Iran or its ongoing military operations in Gaza. This decision to limit Israel’s presence at one of the world’s largest defence exhibitions appears to reflect France's hardening stance.
Prominent U.S. Republican figures attending the air show also condemned France’s action. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders called it “absurd,” while Senator Katie Britt labelled it “short-sighted.”
Meshar Sasson, a senior executive at Elbit Systems, accused France of trying to suppress fair competition, hinting that Israeli defence firms had been winning significant contracts in Europe, making them a commercial threat to French defence companies.
“If you cannot beat them in technology, just hide them, right? There’s no other explanation,” Sasson said.
Israeli defence company Rafael echoed these sentiments, describing the move as “unjustified, unprecedented, and politically motivated.”
As the controversy gained international attention, the organisers of the Paris Airshow issued a statement acknowledging the situation and confirmed that they were holding discussions to help the involved parties find a possible resolution.
This incident marks a significant diplomatic and commercial flashpoint in the traditionally close ties between Israel and France, with defence cooperation now under visible strain due to disagreements over Israel’s military conduct and France's balancing act between supporting Israel’s security and criticising its regional policies.
