France clarifies expo ban on Israeli defense firms

The French government on Sunday announced that Israeli companies may exhibit at the Euronaval defense exhibition, which takes place next month in Paris, but only if they haven’t participated in the conflicts in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

“There was never any question of banning the participation of Israeli companies in trade fairs in France,” according to a statement sent to Agence France-Presse by “the executive.” It was not clear if that referred to the executive of the office of the French president or the French prime minister.

The announcement appears to backtrack on an Oct. 15 statement by the French government, according to which no Israeli companies could have stands or showcase equipment at the exhibition.

Euronaval, the world’s largest naval weapons fair, will host nearly 500 participants in Paris from Nov. 4 to Nov. 7. As of Sunday, the Euronaval website didn’t list any exhibitors from Israel.

For Israel’s part, the new announcement is a distinction without a difference.

“Israel sees this as a pretext, since most of the companies participated directly or indirectly in the fighting,” Israeli public broadcaster Kan News reported on Sunday.

Responding to the ban, Eitan Zucker, CEO of Israel Shipyards Ltd., said, “The security embargo on Israel requires Israel to rely on itself and develop a strategic, local and independent military industry.”

Following France’s earlier announcement, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant blasted French President Emmanuel Macron, tweeting on Oct. 16:

“France has adopted and is consistently implementing a hostile policy toward the Jewish people. We will continue defending our nation against enemies on 7 different fronts, and fighting for our future—with or without France.”

He noted it was the second time France had decided to “discriminate” against Israeli defense industries, referring to the country’s June decision to ban Israeli firms from Eurosatory, the world’s largest defense-trade show.

The Tribunal de commerce de Paris, or Commercial Court of Paris, reversed the ban less than three weeks later, ruling it was discriminatory.

Paris’s recent decision comes as friction grows between France and Israel.

On Oct. 15, Netanyahu chastised Macron when the latter claimed that Israel was a product of the United Nations.

“It was not a U.N. decision that established the State of Israel but the victory that was achieved in the War of Independence with the blood of our heroic fighters, many of whom were Holocaust survivors, including from the Vichy regime in France,” said the Israeli premier.

That followed an earlier Oct. 6 rebuke by Netanyahu of Macron after the French President called for an arms embargo against Israel on radio station France Inter.

“[T]he priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop delivering weapons to fight in Gaza. France is not delivering any,” Macron said.

Netanyahu hit back, saying, “All civilized countries should be standing firmly by Israel’s side. Yet President Macron and some other Western leaders are now calling for an arms embargo against Israel. Shame on them.”

Israel will “win with or without their support, but their shame will continue long after the war is won,” Israel’s prime minister added.

On Sept. 25, France took the lead, together with the United States, in calling for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon, a move Israel opposed.

Following a call between the two leaders, the Prime Minister’s Office said, “The Prime Minister told President Macron that he opposes a unilateral ceasefire, which would not change the security situation in Lebanon and would return the country to its previous state.”