Israel said to stop buying arms from France amid plan for military independence after Gaza war

Defense Ministry Director General Maj. Gen. Amir Baram recently decided to halt all arms procurements from France as part of a larger initiative to reduce military dependence on countries viewed as diplomatically hostile to Israel, according to multiple unsourced Hebrew media reports.

Defense Minister Israel Katz and Baram are working to expand domestic arms production in light of the diplomatic fallout of Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, according to a Channel 12 report on the decision.

The Defense Ministry is working to redirect procurement toward Israeli industries and toward suppliers in other “friendly countries,” the report adds.

Multiple countries imposed partial or full arms embargoes on Israel during the war in Gaza, citing humanitarian concerns and the high death toll. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared earlier this year that he was seeking “maximal independence” from foreign military aid, “so we don’t run out of weapons or ammunition.”

Paris has barred Israeli representatives from participating in defense exhibitions and conferences on its territory since the war began, and, after French President Emmanuel Macron called for an arms embargo on Israel in October 2024, France has halted the sale of certain weapons that could be used for IDF operations in Gaza.

Spokespeople for Katz and for the Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report. The French embassy declined to comment.