Geopolitical tensions roiled the opening of the Paris Air Show on Monday, June 16, as French authorities sealed off Israeli weapons industry booths amid the conflicts in Iran and Gaza, a move that Israel condemned as "outrageous." The decision added drama to the major aerospace industry event, which was already under the shadow of last week's deadly crash of Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
A journalist from Le Monde, who was present at the event, saw that the stands of exhibitors Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Rafael, UVision, Elbit, and Aeronautics had been surrounded by black partitions and were no longer accessible. According to the authorities, "offensive" weapons, such as those that could be used in the Gaza Strip, were displayed, in violation of the framework agreed in advance with the Israeli authorities. Rafael, Elbit, and IAI produce guided bombs and missiles, while UVision and Aeronautics produce drones.
"From the outset, we have provided a clear framework, which has been shared with the Israelis," the French Foreign Ministry told Agence France-Presse. "Namely: the prohibition of exhibiting offensive weapons at the Paris Air Show. The Israeli embassy in Paris has agreed to this."
French Prime Minister François Bayrou defended the decision during a Monday press conference at the air show. "The French government's position was very simple: no offensive weapons at the arms exposition," he said. "Defensive weapons were perfectly acceptable," he added. Bayrou cited the ongoing conflict in Gaza as the rationale behind the ban. "Given the situation in Gaza (...) which is extremely serious from a humanitarian and security point of view, France was keen to make it clear that offensive weapons should not be present at this exposition," Bayrou said.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was shocked by the "outrageous" closure of the pavilions and said the situation should be "immediately corrected." "Israeli companies have signed contracts with the organizers... it's like creating an Israeli ghetto," he said on French television channel LCI.
The Israeli defense ministry said in a statement that the "outrageous and unprecedented decision reeks of policy-driven and commercial considerations." An Israeli exhibitor wrote a message in yellow chalk on one of the walls, saying the hidden defense systems "are protecting the state of Israel these days. The French government, in the name of discrimination, is trying to hide them from you!"
The presence of Israeli firms at Le Bourget, though smaller than in the past, was already a source of tension before the start of the Paris Air Show, because of the conflict in Gaza. A French court last week rejected a bid by NGOs to ban Israeli companies from Le Bourget over concerns about "international crimes."
Local lawmakers from the Seine-Saint-Denis department hosting the event were absent during Bayrou's visit to the opening of the air show in protest over the Israeli presence. "Never has the world been so disrupted and destabilized," Bayrou said earlier at a round-table event, urging nations to tackle challenges "together, not against each other."