TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Paris Air Show in France, which began on Monday, June 16, has closed four major Israeli stands for displaying offensive weapons.
As reported by Anadolu, a source familiar with the matter said the instruction came from the French authorities, after the Israeli companies failed to comply with directives to remove offensive weapons from the stands.
The event organizers, which is one of the world's largest weapons technology exhibitions, told Franceinfo broadcasters that they had "carried out instructions from the relevant French authorities prior to the opening of the show, regarding the removal of certain equipment presented on Israeli stands."
Four major Israeli companies—Rafael, Uvision, Elbit Systems, and Israel Aerospace Industries—did not adhere to the framework that restricts the display of offensive weapons and were thus sanctioned, according to Franceinfo.
The exhibition organizers erected black partitions that separated the Israeli industrial pavilions from the others.
The action, it added, was taken on Monday midnight after Israeli defense officials and companies had finished setting up their exhibits.
A source said the companies would only be able to reopen their stands if they agreed to withdraw the weapons.
The Israeli Defense Ministry denounced the decision as "outrageous" and rejected the request to withdraw the weapons.
"This outrageous and unprecedented decision reeks of policy-driven and commercial considerations," the ministry said in a statement.
"The French are hiding behind supposedly political considerations to exclude Israeli offensive weapons from an international exhibition—weapons that compete with French industries."
A Gifas spokesperson, the exhibition organizer, said some stands were closed, but declined to comment further.
Three smaller Israeli stands, which did not exhibit hardware, and the Israeli Defense Ministry stand remained open.
French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou later explained their decision, noting that despite the companies being warned beforehand, some did not comply as instructed.
"The position of the French government was very simple: no offensive war armaments at the exhibition. Defensive war armaments were entirely acceptable, but exhibiting offensive armaments was not allowed," Bayrou told reporters at the event.
He emphasized that it is unacceptable to display offensive weapons at such an exhibition, given France's "concern" and "serious attention" to the civilian population of Gaza.
"The situation in Gaza is one that, for the French Republic, demands we clearly express condemnation and distance," Bayrou said.
"One cannot starve a people, one cannot prevent them from accessing humanitarian aid, one cannot isolate them entirely from the world – not without our fundamental values speaking out. And that is what we did through this decision," he said, referring to the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza, where Israel has imposed a blockade of humanitarian aid for months.
Israel's presence at the Paris Air Show has also drawn criticism from some groups calling for the withdrawal of Israeli companies from Le Bourget, citing the risk of "perpetuating international crimes," according to Franceinfo.
The Paris Air Show, which runs until next Sunday, is held against the backdrop of ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza, which has killed over 55,000 Palestinian civilians, as well as hostilities between Israel and its regional rival, Iran.
France and Israel, who traditionally have been close allies, have had chilly relations in recent months, with French President Emmanuel Macron increasingly critical of the Israeli war in Gaza.
Following Israel's missile attack on Iran on Friday, Macron said Iran bears great responsibility for allegedly destabilizing the Middle East. However, he also urged Israel to exercise restraint.
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