Israeli Defense Ministry Condemns Exclusion of Israeli Exhibitors at Eurosatory

PARIS — The Israeli Ministry of Defense denounced what it described as discriminatory restrictions imposed on Israeli companies at the Eurosatory defense exhibition in France, while organizers asserted that the displays violated French government regulations.

In a statement released on Sunday, the Ministry declared that the exhibition’s management had sealed off Israeli defense industry pavilions — despite the firms having complied with French government requirements and showcasing only defensive systems — calling the action a cynical, discriminatory, and predictable attempt to exclude Israeli technology from a global forum, a technology whose capabilities are demonstrated daily throughout the Middle East.

On the day of the exhibition, booths belonging to major Israeli defense contractors such as Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries remained accessible, yet they conspicuously lacked the usual assortment of ammunition and weapon system models; instead, Elbit presented a substantial promotional video demonstrating its directed‑energy technologies in operation.

Several other Israeli firms had their booths completely enclosed with temporary partitions, encompassing companies that focus on tactical equipment, electro‑optical control solutions, and fire‑control technologies; these barriers mirrored similar actions taken against Israeli participants at the 2025 Paris Air Show.

Michael Edelstein, Elbit Systems’ Vice President of Strategy and Business Development for North America, informed Breaking Defense that the company had devised contingency plans in anticipation of the restrictions; nevertheless, it was compelled to remove an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance system from its exhibit after a visit from show organizers.

A representative of Rafael, whose expansive booth remained open and showcased a directed‑energy air‑defense system while featuring limited additional displays, expressed disappointment over the decision to wall off certain exhibitors; the individual, speaking on condition of anonymity, affirmed that the company continues to operate normally and is proceeding with scheduled meetings and upcoming announcements.

Earlier this month, the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced that the French government had prohibited official Israeli government participation in Eurosatory and restricted Israeli defense firms to the exhibition of air‑defense products only, explicitly excluding offensive systems.

At that time, the Ministry condemned the French requirement as a “disgraceful decision that reeks of political and commercial calculation,” adding that the outcome was “regrettably unsurprising.”

Eurosatory’s organizer, Coges Events, issued a statement to Breaking Defense indicating that exhibitors had been instructed to present “material and products exclusively linked to anti‑air and anti‑ballistic‑missile capacities,” and clarified that certain booths “were closed because they failed to meet the participation conditions established by the French authorities.”

In 2024, a court dispute erupted both before and during that edition of Eurosatory concerning restrictions imposed on Israeli firms, and a parallel controversy resurfaced later that year at the naval‑focused Euronaval.

The French government has previously tied its stance to Israel’s actions in Gaza, where Israeli military operations have resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians in an effort to dismantle the militant group Hamas following its deadly terrorist attack on October 7, 2023.

However, Edelstein suggested that the French action extended beyond geopolitical concerns; he argued that Israel’s defense industry has achieved considerable global success, posing a competitive threat to a European market historically dominated by French firms. In his view, the French are “trying to act against us,” he said.

The Israeli Ministry of Defense echoed this assertion in its statement: “The Israel Ministry of Defense will continue driving Israeli defense exports to unprecedented global heights, despite French efforts to conceal Israeli technological superiority from the world.”

Eurosatory is occurring a week after an aerospace exhibition in Germany, the Berlin Air Show; aside from pro‑Palestinian protestors blocking the road on the first day of that event, there was limited geopolitical controversy, and Israeli firms exhibited their products as usual.

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