France shuts Israeli weapons booths at Paris Air Show

LE BOURGET, France: Geopolitical tensions roiled the opening of the Paris Air Show on Monday as French authorities sealed off Israeli weapons industry booths amid the conflicts in Iran and Gaza, a move that Israel condemned as “outrageous”.

The decision added drama to the major aerospace industry event, which was already under the shadow of last week´s deadly crash of Air India´s Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Black walls were installed around the stands of five Israeli defence firms at the trade fair in Le Bourget, an airfield on the outskirts of Paris.

The booths displayed “offensive weapons” that could be used in Gaza -- in violation of agreements with Israeli authorities, a French government source told AFP. The French government has not given its exact definition of “offensive” weapons.

The companies -- Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Rafael, Uvision, Elbit and Aeronautics -- make drones and guided bombs and missiles. An Israeli exhibitor wrote a message in yellow chalk on one of the walls, saying the hidden defence systems “are protecting the state of Israel these days. The French government, in the name of discrimination is trying to hide them from you!”