In widening dispute, Israel lashes out at France after firms barred from arms show

By John Irish

PARIS (Reuters) – Israel’s defence minister on Wednesday called French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to ban Israeli firms from exhibiting at a naval arms show “a disgrace” and accused Paris of implementing a hostile policy towards the Jewish people.

The decision to bar Israeli firms is the latest incident in a row fuelled by the Macron government’s unease over Israel’s conduct in the wars in Gaza and Lebanon.

It came after French efforts to secure a truce in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon foundered and as Israel carries out more airstrikes on targets in the country.

“French President Macron’s actions are a disgrace to the French nation and the values of the free world, which he claims to uphold,” Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant posted on X.

“France has adopted, and is consistently implementing, a hostile policy towards the Jewish people. We will continue defending our nation against enemies on 7 different fronts, and fighting for our future – with or without France.”

French officials have repeatedly said that Paris is committed to Israel’s security and point out that its military helped defend Israel after Iranian attacks in April and earlier this month.

Euronaval, organiser of the event set to take place in Paris from Nov. 4-7, said in a statement that the French government had informed it on Tuesday that Israeli delegations were not allowed to exhibit stands or show equipment, but could attend the trade show. The decision affected seven firms, it said.

It is the second time this year that France has banned Israeli firms from a major defence show. In May France said conditions were not right for Israel to participate in the Eurosatory military trade show when Macron was calling for Israel to cease operations in Gaza.

“These measures not only harm relations between our two countries, but also the bonds of trust that they have built, and thus cast doubt on France’s ability to play a leading role on the diplomatic scene to promote peace and stability in the Middle East,” the Israeli embassy said in a statement.

DIPLOMATIC SPARRING

Israeli forces have carried out numerous air strikes and a ground incursion targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, causing substantial civilian casualties and leading Western allies, including France, to call for an immediate ceasefire.

Diplomatic sparring between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Macron has increased in recent weeks after Paris had worked with Washington to secure a 21-day truce that would then open the door to negotiations on a long-term diplomatic solution.

Believing Israel had agreed the terms, France and the United States were caught by surprise when the next day Israel launched strikes that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Netanyahu has rejected a unilateral ceasefire that fails to stop Hezbollah rearming and regrouping. France has sought to continue to work on a diplomatic resolution.

Macron has irked Netanyahu several times, notably as United Nations peacekeeping forces have been caught in Israeli crossfire in southern Lebanon.

France, with nearly 700 troops in the 10,000-strong UNIFIL peacekeeping force, is one of the main European contributors alongside Italy and Spain. All three have condemned what the U.N. says have been Israeli attacks and violations against the peacekeepers.

Macron has called for an end to the supply to Israel of offensive weapons used in Gaza, where thousands of Palestinian civilians have been killed and a humanitarian crisis has unfolded in a year of warfare against Hamas militants.

On Tuesday, Macron told a cabinet meeting that Netanyahu should not forget that Israel was created by a U.N. decision, according to a French official.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot sought to downplay the comments, saying they had been general remarks reminding Israel of the importance of respecting the U.N. charter.

But Netanyahu’s office said in response that Israel was established through “the War of Independence with the blood of our heroic fighters, many of whom were Holocaust survivors, including from the Vichy regime in France” – referring to the French government that had collaborated with Nazi Germany.