France bans Israeli officials from weapons show in Paris

Israel's ​defence ministry said on Monday France had banned Israeli ‌government officials from a major weapons show in Paris, and had imposed restrictions on companies from the country exhibiting there.

France's defence ministry, which barred ​Israel from taking part in the 2024 Eurosatory arms ​exhibition over the war in Gaza, later said Israeli companies would be ⁠limited to showing equipment and materials related to air defence ​and missile defence, but did not go into any detail on ​the reasons.

It did not address the report that Israeli officials would not be allowed to attend.

"This is a disgraceful decision, one that reeks of ​political and commercial calculation, and regrettably, it comes as no ​surprise," the Israeli defence ministry spokesperson said.

"It fits a deeply troubling pattern in French ‌conduct ⁠in recent years — a pattern that has consistently placed France on the wrong side of history."

Israeli-French relations have deteriorated since late 2023, with Paris criticising Israel's conduct in its wars in ​Gaza and Lebanon, ​and the decision ⁠by Israel and the United States to launch a war against Iran earlier this year.—Reuters