France excludes Israeli defense firms from Eurosatory due to Gaza's actions, sparking controversy. President Macron calls for Israel to halt operations in Rafah. Over 70 Israeli companies were affected, including major players like Israel Aerospace Industries.
France has barred Israeli firms from participating in Eurosatory, Europe's largest defense show, due to Israel's military actions in Gaza. This decision, announced on June 13, 2022, comes just over two weeks before the event begins in Paris. The French Armed Forces Ministry stated, "Conditions are no longer suited to welcome Israeli companies to the French show, in a context where the President is calling for Israeli operations in Rafah to stop."
French President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly called for an end to Israeli operations in Rafah, expressing outrage over strikes that have killed many displaced people. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been a contentious issue in France, with Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu facing numerous questions from lawmakers about France's defense exports to Israel.
More than 70 Israeli companies, including Israel Aerospace Industries, Elbit Systems, and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, were scheduled to participate in Eurosatory on June 17. Elbit had planned to present its PULS multiple-rocket launcher and Sigma next-generation howitzer.
Show organizer Coges Events confirmed that there will be no Israeli defense industry presence at Eurosatory 2024 but declined further comment.
Israel ranks as the world's ninth-largest arms exporter, contributing 2.4% of global arms exports from 2019 to 2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. In 2022, Israel's defense exports hit a record $12.5 billion, with $3.67 billion going to Europe. Unmanned aerial vehicles and related drone systems constituted a quarter of these exports, while missiles, rockets, and air-defense systems made up about a fifth.
