French-Israeli defense cooperation is under pressure. Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, there has been a steady stream of criticism against countries that continue to export arms to Israel, whose operations in the Gaza Strip have been widely criticized. On April 5, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution calling for an "embargo" on all arms destined for Israel. France abstained from voting, but the resolution cast a new shadow over bilateral defense cooperation, already on a narrow path.
When it comes to armaments, equipment transfers from France to Israel represent only a tiny percentage of French defense exports: 0.2%, out of a total of €27 billion in 2022, or around €15 million for armaments deliveries, and €34 million, out of a total of €8.8 billion, for so-called "dual-use" goods, according to the latest figures available. These export licenses concern "essentially transfers of spare parts," Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu told Le Parisien in an interview on April 21.
But these minimal transfers nevertheless cover a wide range of components, some of them key to the manufacture of more complex equipment. On March 26, the investigative media outlet Disclose and the website Marsactu revealed a shipment of links for small-caliber ammunition belts, destined for a subsidiary of the Israeli defense giant Elbit. While it emerged that, according to the Ministry of the Armed Forces, the license only permitted re-export to third countries, and not use by the Israeli army, the information highlighted the ambiguity of diplomatic military exchanges between France and Israel.
It's a gray area that suits the French government. "With the Israelis, we help each other out a little, we sell each other a little equipment, we're close enough to them to know what they're doing, but at the same time we're competitors, and above all, there's a very clear desire on France's part not to help operations in Gaza and to take as few risks as possible in arms deliveries," said a government source. The 2021 revelations concerning Pegasus, the Israeli surveillance software sold to numerous countries, some of whom used it to spy on French political leaders, also left its mark.
Le Monde has learned that, until the beginning of the war, France supplied Israel with components that could be used to manufacture artillery shells. However, following a review of all licenses granted to Israel at the end of October 2023, Paris decided to suspend exports. Yet, for several years now, France has been allowing Rafale fighter pilot helmets sold for export, notably to Qatar, to be fitted with a special Israeli-made visor called the Targo.
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