France to allow Israeli firms to take part in defense expo after reports ban was weighed

Following Hebrew media reports that the French government intended to prevent eight Israeli companies from taking part in a defense exhibition in Paris next week, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot informed Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Tuesday that all Israeli companies will be allowed to participate.

“French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke a short while ago with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and informed him that all Israeli companies will be permitted to participate in the exhibition,” Sa’ar’s office said in a statement.

A French official with knowledge of the matter told The Times of Israel that the decision to allow all the companies to attend “was a French decision and not the result of Israeli pressure.”

Earlier in the day, Channel 12 reported that after reviewing a list of 45 companies expected to take part in the Milipol Paris exhibition from November 18–25, France notified Israel that it would bar eight Israeli firms from the event, without specifying which ones. The French reportedly said their participation “would pose a problem,” while clarifying that the other Israeli companies would be permitted to attend, causing outrage from Israeli officials. It was not unclear whether the exclusion was related to the companies’ links to Israel’s activities in Gaza or to operations in the West Bank.

French authorities reportedly expressed concern about potential protests and unrest from pro-Palestinian organizations if the Israeli companies were allowed to attend. According to Channel 12, Israeli officials were stunned by the French decision, given the current ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza, warning that it would further damage highly strained ties between the countries and threatening to issue harsh diplomatic and public responses. An Israeli official told the Hebrew network that “Such a move will have dramatic consequences for relations between the two countries.”

Israel and France have clashed multiple times throughout the two-year Gaza war over the participation of Israeli defense firms in arms exhibitions, including over incidents at the Paris Air Show in June, when French authorities erected black partition walls around Israeli displays featuring offensive weapons systems.

French President Emmanuel Macron also called for a halt to weapons exports to Israel over the war against Hamas, though the move was ultimately blocked by a court.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.