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By Serge Duchêne with AFP
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France has banned the display of Israeli offensive weapons at the 2026 edition of the Eurosatory international defence and security trade fair, the organisers told AFP on Monday.
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“Only Israeli exhibitors showcasing anti-ballistic and anti-air defence systems will be allowed,” said Charles Beaudouin, president of COGES Events, in response to a statement by the Israeli Defence Ministry protesting against the restrictions.
“This is a decision taken by the French government, by the Defence Council,” Beaudouin added.
“There is no room for ambiguity: if an exhibitor also manufactures rockets, they will not be allowed to display them. This rules out any offensive weapons,” he said.
“We have set a clear framework, namely an exhibition limited to Israeli equipment and systems related to air defence and missile defence,” the French Armed Forces Ministry told franceinfo.
“Israeli exhibitors who comply with this framework will be able to showcase their companies’ equipment at Eurosatory.”
The Israeli ministry denounced the measure, saying it would be “unable to take part in the fair or set up a national pavilion there”.
“This is a shameful decision, reeking of political and commercial calculation and, unfortunately, it is not surprising. It is part of a deeply worrying trend in French behaviour in recent years,” they added, referring to the French stance in recent years.
Not the first time
As RTL points out, Israeli arms manufacturers had already been excluded at the 2024 edition of this biennial event. At the time, the Armed Forces Ministry justified its decision by saying that “the conditions are no longer in place to host Israeli companies at the fair”, against the backdrop of the war in Gaza.
The exclusion of Israeli companies was eventually suspended by the Paris Commercial Court, which ruled that banning these firms from taking part in the defence and security exhibition was “discriminatory” and therefore had to be lifted.
Similarly, at the 2025 Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, Rafael and other Israeli arms companies were prevented from exhibiting at the aviation and space show after they refused to remove offensive weapons from their stands.
Since the end of February, Paris has repeatedly condemned Israeli strikes on Lebanese territory, where they target Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group.
On Sunday, France called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council after the Israeli army captured Beaufort Castle, in Lebanon. Israel raised its flag over the strategic site, which dates back to the Crusades,
Eurosatory runs from 15 to 19 June at the Paris Nord Villepinte exhibition centre, north of the French capital.
The fair says it will bring together 2,032 exhibitors in 42 national pavilions and host 334 official delegations from 93 countries, along with 43,000 professional visitors from 155 countries.
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