PARIS — The Paris Air Show began with a tense political note on Monday, as Israeli arms companies found their booths walled off with a black barrier in the morning.
The Israeli government, embroiled in a war with Iran since Friday, has been criticized by officials here for the conduct of the Gaza war.
It was apparently along those critiques that an order came down Sunday evening from show organizer SIAE, at the behest of the French government, to leave certain weapon systems off the display.
The walls, more than two meters high, concealed the entirety of the booth areas of Israel Aerospace Industries and Elbit Systems, allowing only tips of large missiles and a drone hung under the ceiling to be visible to passers-by.
A representative of the Israeli Ministry of Defense at the agency’s nearby booth said the Israeli exhibitors were told early last evening to take down “some” equipment within hours.
In the official’s telling, there was no time to remove parts of the installations because the lifting and packing equipment was already gone for the day. It was then that Paris Air Show organizers built the walls overnight, the Israeli official said.
U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) stumbled upon the scene to express her solidarity with the Israeli officials present.
“It is absolutely unacceptable that Israel cannot come to an air show where your are credentialed and screened and whatnot,” she told Defense News.
The story quickly developed a life of its own, as Britt was under the impression that there had been graffiti sprayed on the Israeli booth, or that the display had been otherwise vandalized.
According to the Israeli representative here, this had not occurred.
Nine Israeli defense companies were slated to exhibit at the Paris Air Show this year, including Israel Aerospace Industries, Elbit Systems, Rafael, UVision Air, and other companies whose weapons are used by the Israeli Defense Forces in the ongoing Israel-Gaza war and in its military conflict with Iran.
In a statement, the Israeli Defense Ministry called the French “outrageous and unprecedented,” lamenting a “decision that reeks of policy-driven and commercial considerations.”
Israeli officials were mainly referring to the missile sector, in which France competes with it, and which is gaining increasing interest in light of rising global geopolitical tensions and the use of Israeli defense systems in current conflicts.
There is still chance that French and Israeli officials can sort out the situation.
“The SIAE complied with an instruction from the relevant French authorities prior to the opening of the Show, regarding the removal of certain equipment displayed on Israeli stands,” reads a statement by the show organizer.
“The companies in question are nonetheless authorized to exhibit at the Show. Dialogue is underway so that the various parties can find a favorable outcome to the situation.”
Tzally Greenberg reported from Jerusalem. Rudy Ruitenberg in Paris contributed to this story.
Sebastian Sprenger is associate editor for Europe at Defense News, reporting on the state of the defense market in the region, and on U.S.-Europe cooperation and multi-national investments in defense and global security. Previously he served as managing editor for Defense News. He is based in Cologne, Germany.
Tzally Greenberg is the Israel correspondent for Defense News. He has experience reporting on economic affairs as well as defense and cyber companies.
