Israeli government representatives will not be invited to attend a major London arms fair next month, a UK government spokesperson said Friday, amid worsening diplomatic relations between London and Jerusalem over the Gaza conflict.
“We can confirm that no Israeli government delegation will be invited to attend DSEI UK 2025” in September, said a British defense ministry statement.
Israeli defense companies — such as Elbit Systems, Rafael, Israel Aerospace Industries and Uvision — will still be allowed to attend the biennial event. But Israel slammed the move as “discrimination.”
UK premier Keir Starmer’s government has in recent months announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state, suspended free trade talks with Israel and sanctioned far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, amid tensions over the next stage of the war against the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip as well as settler violence in the West Bank.
Israel has moved forward with plans to take over Gaza City, a months-long operation that would see some one million people newly displaced, rather than agree to a deal with Hamas for a phased release of hostages in exchange for a ceasefire and the release of hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners.
“The Israeli government’s decision to further escalate its military operation in Gaza is wrong,” the British defense ministry said in its statement. “There must be a diplomatic solution to end this war now, with an immediate ceasefire, the return of the hostages and a surge in humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.”
The four-day British arms show, due to open on September 9, features national delegations and private companies that showcase military kit and weapons at London’s Excel center. The event takes place every other year.
DSEI is organized by a private company, Clarion Defence and Security, but with backing from the British government and the military.
Israel’s Defense Ministry reacted furiously to the ban.
“These restrictions amount to a deliberate and regrettable act of discrimination against Israel’s representatives,” it said in a statement.
The decision “serves extremists, grants legitimacy to terror, and is driven by political considerations that fall outside the professional and customary framework of international defense exhibitions,” the ministry said.
“Accordingly, the Israel Ministry of Defense will withdraw from the exhibition and will not establish a national pavilion,” it added.
France in June blocked access to the stands of several Israeli arms manufacturers at the Paris Air Show for displaying “offensive weapons.”
Despite the arms show issues, Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems on Tuesday announced a €358 million ($415 million) deal with the German Air Force for advanced targeting technology for fighter aircraft.
The deal came after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced earlier this month that Berlin — Israel’s second largest arms supplier — had suspended sales of arms to Israel that could be used in Gaza.
European Union foreign ministers are to discuss possible new sanctions against Israel and Hamas at a meeting in Copenhagen on Saturday. Sweden and the Netherlands have already called for more action.
The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages amid acts of brutality and sexual assault. Forty-eight hostages remain in Gaza, of whom 20-22 are believed to still be alive.
Stav Levaton contributed to this report.