The Israeli weapons company Rafael has announced plans to sue the French government after its stand at the Paris Air Show was abruptly shut down due to Israel’s campaign in Gaza.
Since Monday morning, four Israeli stands, including Rafael, Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), and UVision, have been hidden behind black wooden panels.
French authorities determined that “offensive weapons equipment marketed by the firms could not be exhibited, given the situation in Gaza.”
Rafael, Elbit, and IAI produce guided bombs and missiles while UVision manufactures drones.
Faced with the companies’ refusal to remove the equipment, the booths were fenced off during the night from Sunday to Monday.
“This morning, an official from the fair came over and told me that if I would remove some of the equipment, then he would tear down these walls. And I told him, I will not remove anything. You had enough time to make the decision, but you decided to act in the dark of night,” said Shlomo Toaff, Executive Vice President at Rafael.
Technicians were seen on Tuesday morning adding further barricades to seal off the entrance to one of the booths, as no agreement was reached between Israeli manufacturers and the show’s organisers.
Meanwhile, a heavy security presence was seen patrolling the cordoned-off area on Tuesday.
“I assure you that we will sue the French government for what they have done to us,” Toaff told Euronews.
“We are going to sue them for causing financial damage, for not giving us access to the property that we had rented. We think this is an unjust decision. We’re not getting equal rights like the other exhibitors,” he said.
The Rafael representative told Euronews they rented the booth a year in advance and submitted blueprints months ago. Their equipment cleared French customs about a month prior to the exhibition, they claim.
“We invested a lot of money in getting this booth and a lot of effort in preparing for it. I can’t tell you the exact cost, but we’re talking millions of euros,” said Toaff.
French authorities say the firms displayed “offensive” weapons in violation of the pre-agreed framework with the Israeli government.
“France considers that this is a terrible situation for the Gazans, a situation from a human and humanitarian point of view, from a security point of view, extremely heavy,” French Prime Minister François Bayrou told reporters on Monday after inaugurating the show.
“France wanted to demonstrate that offensive weapons should not be present in this show.”
The Israeli Ministry of Defence condemned “this scandalous and unprecedented decision” in a press release published on Monday.
“I was totally disappointed,” said Sasson Meshar, Senior VP for Airborne Electro-Optics Systems at Elbit. “We invested a lot of money in the exhibition.”
“We don’t understand the logic of the decision, because from our perspective, it’s discrimination, because everybody around is showing the same systems. It’s a defence, military system, and that’s what we are showing. We are not all here for some kind of flower exhibition.”
“We will consult with legal advisors, and we will follow their advice, and we’ll consider our next stages later on,” Meshar said, evading the question of whether Elbit is considering following Rafael in the lawsuit.
This isn’t the first time Israeli arms manufacturers have faced restrictions at French defence shows.
After initially being banned from the Eurosatory exhibition in spring 2024, they were later allowed to attend Euronaval last fall following a court ruling.
On June 10, a Paris court rejected a request by several associations to ban Israeli companies from this year’s Paris Air Show.
The 2025 edition is taking place against the backdrop of intensifying diplomatic tensions between Paris and Tel Aviv.
Israel is facing intense criticism over its military campaign in the Gaza Strip, launched in response to the 2023 Hamas attack. The death toll in Gaza is estimated to exceed 55,000 according to the Hamas-run Gazan Health Ministry. More than 1,800 Israelis have been killed as a result of the fighting.