France Blocks Israeli Companies From Major Upcoming Arms Fair Euronaval

Emmanuel Macron’s French government has banned Israeli defence contractors from exhibiting at next month’s Euronaval, a major arms fair in Paris, the second time Israeli companies have been blocked from a French trade show this year.

Israeli companies will not be able to exhibit at the major Euronaval trade fair in Paris in November, they have been told. Seven Israeli companies, including shipbuilders and other military equipment manufacturers had been registered as exhibitors for the show, which draws major defence firms and potential customers for naval equipment from around the world together.

Euronaval said in a statement on Wednesday that they had been informed by the French government of its decision that Israeli delegations would be permitted to attend but “without any stand or exhibition of equipment”, which really is the point of a trade show, on Tuesday. “In accordance with the French government’s decision, Israeli companies and citizens who wish to attend will be welcomed at the show under the conditions listed above”, they said.

Per the organisers, the show features exhibits by nearly 500 companies who will meet with 22,000 visitors over November 4th to 7th.

This is the second time this year the French government of President Emmanuel Macron has decided to block Israeli participation in an arms fair. In May, the French government had announced Israeli exhibitors would be blocked from Eurosatory — named for the French military base where it is held — which is an arms fair focussed on land warfare.

It was said at the time the block was over Macron’s opposition to Israel fighting in Rafah. A French court later overturned the government’s order, but only after the arms fair had already started, and so too late to make much difference. The Conseil Représentatif des Institutions juives de France (Crif), which represents Jewish interests in France, reported Israeli visitors were made to sign a declaration stating they didn’t work for an Israeli arms firm in order to get into the building, which they decried as “the paper of shame”.

Crif President Yonathan Arfi said making Israeli attendees sign a document in order to attend the fair: “stigmatizes and censures Israelis themselves! Obscene discrimination… slanderous practices, unworthy of France”.

Now, Emmanuel Macron is trying to engineer a whole arms embargo against Israel. He called for the move in early October, saying France had already stopped supplying Israel with military equipment, saying he opposed to fighting in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded with fury at Macron’s campaign to starve Israel of arms, saying it brought shame on France.

He said earlier this month: “Is Iran imposing an arms embargo on Hezbollah, on the Houthis, on Hamas and on its other proxies? Of course not. This axis of terror stands together. But countries who supposedly oppose this terror axis call for an arms embargo on Israel. What a disgrace… their shame will continue long after the war is won”.