French authorities erected black partition walls around Israeli company exhibits displaying offensive weapons systems at the Paris Air Show overnight Sunday, hours before the event opened at Le Bourget Airport.

The Defense Ministry condemned the last-minute decision by the event organizers, acting on behalf of the French government.

“The French are hiding behind supposedly political considerations to exclude Israeli offensive weapons from an international exhibition — weapons that compete with French industries,” the ministry said in a statement, calling the action “ugly and improper.”

According to the ministry, the move broke with standard global practices and was carried out overnight after Israeli defense officials had finished setting up their booths.

The Defense Ministry initially refused to comply with a demand to put up partitions, after which organizers erected black walls themselves, isolating the Israeli pavilions from the rest of the exhibition.

“Last night, after our booth was set up and was ready for the show, we were asked to remove some of our systems from the booth,” Israeli Aerospace Industries president and CEO Boaz Levy said in a statement.

“We tried to negotiate with them, but it seems these orders came from the highest levels in Paris. This morning, when we arrived at our booth, we were shocked to find out that we were blocked by black walls built overnight, which reminds us of the dark days when Jews were segmented from European society.”

In a video filmed by the Kan public broadcaster, event employees were seen covering up pro-Israel graffiti written by Israeli representatives on the black walls in protest of the decision.

“Behind these walls are the best defense systems used by many countries. These 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 Israeli representatives wrote.

“The Israeli industry deeply concerns [the French], because it’s not just showcasing its products at the exhibition, it’s also proving their effectiveness in practice,” said Defense Ministry Director General Amir Baram.

“When you hear, ‘No problem, Israelis will only display the defensive components and not the offensive ones,’ don’t be misled. It’s not only about policy — which, in my view, is entirely antisemitic, blatant and crude — but it’s also about exclusion for business reasons,” he added.

The booths displayed “offensive weapons” that could be used in Gaza — in violation of agreements with Israeli authorities, a French government source told AFP.

The companies — Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Rafael, Uvision, Elbit and Aeronautics — make drones and guided bombs and missiles.

French Prime Minister Francois 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.”

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,” he said.

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 organisers… it’s like creating an Israeli ghetto,” he said on French television channel LCI.

The Rafael defense firm, which is part of the Israeli delegation to the Air Show, said in a statement: “This action is discriminatory, unprecedented, and contrary to the principles of partnership that international exhibitions are meant to uphold.”

“This attempt to silence or sideline our presence does not diminish our relevance—it only underscores the growing impact of our technologies and values,” it continued.

The Defense Ministry had previously announced it would take part in the Paris Air Show despite ongoing flight cancellations from Israel and the conflict with Iran.

The ministry’s International Defense Cooperation Directorate (SIBAT) pavilion and booths of various defense firms were set to open as scheduled, though presentations were to be scaled back due to travel disruptions.

The Paris Air Show, which takes place during odd-numbered years at the French capital’s Le Bourget airport, is one of the world’s most important aerospace events for both civil and military companies.

In January, France’s President Emmanuel Macron said that Israeli companies would be allowed to attend this year’s show, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said after a call between the two leaders.

The pair fell out last year after Macron tried to restrict Israeli businesses at a French arms fair and called for a halt to weapons exports to Israel over the war against Hamas in Gaza. The effort to put restrictions on the exhibitors was ultimately blocked by a court.

Last October, after Macron’s government said it would prevent Israeli companies from exhibiting at the Euronaval arms show, then-defense minister Yoav Gallant called his actions “a disgrace to the French nation and the values of the free world.”

Macron’s administration had also tried to restrict Israeli companies at a land defense and security exhibition five months earlier, but the decision was likewise overturned by the French courts.