Ministry of Defense director general Gen. (res.) Amir Baram today told journalists that France’s President Emmanuel Macron was directly to blame for intervening to prevent Israeli companies from exhibiting their products at the Paris Air Show. The Israeli defense industries delegation, which was supposed to exhibit at the world’s most important air show, was surprised to discover this morning that the organizers had erected black boarding in the dead of night that blocks access to some of the Israeli pavilions. “There is a desire here to prevent Israeli industries from competing on an equal footing. There is a desire to promote French industries at their expense… The French president is doing it personally,” Baram said.
Israel “went on the offensive” over the events this morning at the Paris Air Show, and publicly accused France this morning of “anti-Semitism” for excluding Israeli companies, and also of promoting the business interests of its own defense industries, at the expense of Israeli companies, which have proven themselves, especially in recent days, during the war in Iran. Baram said that a European country that had signed an agreement with the Israeli government asked it to keep it a secret, “because otherwise President Macron would pressure the government to cancel it.” “He (Macron) is applying pressure to promote French industries.”
“A country has never been required to display only defensive and not offensive weapons”
Behind the French move, Baram explained that the planned Israeli participation in Paris was preceded by correspondence and negotiations that lasted months, and that Israel received permission to participate. Therefore, it invested heavily in this year’s delegation, which included, alongside the Ministry of Defense, seven Israeli defense companies (Elbit, Rafael, Israel Aerospace Industries, UVision, Ashot Ashkelon, Aeronautics and Beit Shemesh Engines). The plan was to display Israeli defense products in full. Ten days ago, Baram revealed, the French made a new demand that Israel would not display offensive weapons during the show, and would make do with displaying defensive weapons.
He said, “This is an unprecedented demand that discriminates against Israel compared with other countries, and that has no historical basis or comparison. No country or industry has ever been required to present only defensive weapons and not offensive weapons,” Baram said that Israel had refused this demand.
When Israeli airspace was closed and the delegations of the defense companies were unable to fly to Paris, the defense companies recruited representatives from Europe and around the world to replace those who remained in Israel, “and worked for four days around the clock,” to ensure an Israeli presence.
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However, “in an action taken in the middle of the night,” the organizers blocked part of the access to the Israeli pavilions with black boarding, which Baram described as “an action ordered at the highest levels.” “At no point did we agree not to display any component,” Baram stressed. He explained that Israel has appealed to the French courts, as well as to the Israeli and international media. “The story is not over yet, there are two more days of the exhibition,” he said. According to him, “beyond the anti-Semitism of the move, there is a clear business interest here. The Israeli advantage, which has been proven in recent days, is putting pressure on the French. There is a tremendous struggle being waged at the state level in France, between French industries and others. Israeli industry is very troubling them. We are not only exhibiting at exhibitions, but are proven in battle. Therefore, when you say that the Israelis will not present the offensive component, it is not for policy considerations but out of anti-Semitism and for business reasons. There is a desire here to prevent the Israelis from competing, and this characterizes France more than other countries,” said Baram.
Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on June 16, 2025.
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