From the Liveblog of
Sunday, October 20, 2024
FM: Jerusalem will take ‘legal and diplomatic measures’ over French ban of Israeli firms from defense fair
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Foreign Minister Israel Katz says his ministry will take “legal and diplomatic measures” against French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to bar Israeli companies from presenting at the Euronaval defense exposition in Paris next month.
In a French-language post on X, Katz calls the boycott “an anti-democratic measure that in our eyes is not acceptable, especially between friendly nations.”
“Israel is the only state on the front lines in the fight against the radical Islamic regime, and France, along with the entire Western world, should stand with us – not against us,” says Katz.
An Israeli official tells The Times of Israel that Jerusalem will take the issue to French courts, where they will claim illegal discrimination by Macron.
