Israel outraged over blocking of defense companies' booths at French exhibition

Organizers of the international air show in Le Bourget, France, have blocked Israeli weapons manufacturers' pavilions with black shields just before the forum's opening.

The Israeli Ministry of Defense press service reported this action with extreme indignation, according to Report.

According to the defense ministry's statement, just a day before the exhibition's opening, the organizers, "acting on behalf of the French government," ordered the removal of offensive weapons systems samples from the pavilions of Israeli defense companies. The Israeli side assessed this as a violation of standard practice accepted at similar exhibitions worldwide and consequently refused to comply with the organizers' demands.

The Israeli Ministry of Defense stated that this requirement was issued "in the middle of the night" when all Israeli pavilions' exhibitions were already prepared for opening. As a result, forum staff installed black shields, blocking the stands of Israeli companies from public view.

In Israel's opinion, France is "hiding behind alleged political considerations to exclude Israeli offensive weapons from participating in the international exhibition—weapons that compete with French industry." "This is particularly striking given the impressive and precise results of Israeli technologies in Iran," the ministry noted.

In response to these actions, the Israeli Ministry of Defense has demanded that the French government and Le Bourget show organizers remove the black walls of segregation from Israeli pavilions and allow Israeli industrial enterprises to demonstrate their systems like all other exhibition participants.

The incident occurs against the backdrop of increasing tensions in the Middle East and growing criticism of Israel's military operations in Gaza, though many analysts suggest commercial competition may be a significant underlying factor in this unusual exhibition restriction.