Israeli Weapons Masked in Paris Air Show Display

At the Paris Air Show, organizers barred Israeli companies from displaying offensive weapons, sparking criticism from Israeli officials and exhibitors.

The restriction, enforced after Israeli companies had already set up their stands, led to a visible response: sections of the Israeli booths containing offensive systems were concealed behind black barriers installed by the event organizers.

A senior Israeli Defense Ministry official, Amir Baram, described the move as a “scandal,” calling it a “unilateral and political decision” made “overnight.” The ministry’s official statement echoed this sentiment, stating that the restriction was not coordinated in advance.

The decision follows mounting political pressure in France. Ahead of the air show, which opened on June 16 and runs through June 22, several French lawmakers had called for the exclusion of Israeli defense companies from the event in protest over ongoing military actions in Gaza.

This is not the first time Israeli defense firms have faced limitations in Europe this year. In June, the organizers of Eurosatory 2024, one of the world’s major defense and security exhibitions, confirmed that “by decision of government authorities, there will be no Israeli defense industry booth in the 2024 Eurosatory Fair Hall.”

The Paris Air Show, held at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, is one of the largest and most influential events for the aerospace and defense sector. The decision to block Israeli offensive systems from view marks a rare case of exhibition-floor censorship in an industry event of this scale.