The French government has announced that Israeli defense firms will be barred from participating in the prestigious Eurosatory 2024 security and defense trade show near Paris, set to be held June 17 to June 21 and organized by COGES and the French Ministry of Defense.
There will be no Israeli pavilion at Eurosatory 2024, the French Ministry of Defense told Reuters, because “the conditions for hosting Israeli companies at the exhibition are not met at this time, as the president calls on Israel to cease the operation in Rafah.”
In Rafah, Hamas is believed to be holding many of the 249 hostages abducted by its terrorists and followers during its invasion of Israel and massacre of 1,200 people on October 7, 2024, and where at least four Hamas battalions remain intact and ready to fight.
Israel’s unwillingness to follow the orders of French President Emmanuel Macron, who demanded the IDF cease its operations in Rafah, was allegedly the reason for the decision, the ministry said.
Seventy-four Israeli companies registered for the event, which is expected to feature 1,700 companies from 150 countries and attract 60,000 visitors.
Among the Israeli firms whose names still appear on the event site are Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries, Rafael, Elta and other firms, as well as the International Defense Cooperation Directorate of Israel’s Defense Ministry, according to Le Monde.
Last week, Macron expressed outrage over Israeli surgical strikes that targeted a building in which Hamas leaders were meeting in Rafah. Although the attack was carried out with the smallest munitions carried by Israeli fighter jets — each carrying a 17-kilogram warhead — the attack sparked a raging fire that led to the deaths of 45 people.
The IDF is investigating to determine how the attack could have sparked such a blaze, but has noted that the strike was carried out more than 1.5 kilometers (one mile) from the humanitarian safe zone in which civilians were supposed to be staying. Moreover, the two munitions used in the attack were not big enough to cause such a blaze, the IDF said, adding that it appeared from the footage filmed by the pilots during the attack that there were secondary explosions, indicating the presence of a significant cache of weapons at the site.
Blatantly ignoring evidence that made it clear Israel was not to blame, Macron nevertheless used the incident to insist that “a ceasefire is needed to ensure the protection of Gaza’s residents, the return of hostages, and full access to aid in Gaza.”
According to the latest Special Eurobarometer 493 (2019), the number of Muslims in France is currently estimated at five percent of the population or 3.35 million. In contrast, there are 500,000 Jews living in France — just 0.7353 percent of the 68 million total population.
But it’s not just France. In March, the anti-Israel government of Chile headed by President Gabriel Boric barred Israel from participating in the FIDAE 2024 air show which took place in April and featured 420 exhibitors from 47 countries, including giants like Boeing, Airbus, and BAE.
Chile announced this week it plans to join South Africa’s case in the International Court of Justice in The Hague, accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza in its fight against Hamas, which has vowed to annihilate the Jewish State and its Jews.
