Overnight, their booths were hidden behind giant black walls
French organizers at Eurosatory, one of Europe’s largest defense exhibitions, boarded up Israeli defense industry pavilions overnight, triggering a furious response from Israel’s Ministry of Defense and deepening an already bitter fight between Jerusalem and Paris.
The move came after Israeli companies had already complied with French government restrictions that barred them from displaying offensive systems and limited them to defensive technology, including air and missile-defense systems.
Israel’s Defense Ministry said the companies “met the French government’s outrageous demands and displayed solely defensive systems,” yet still found their booths sealed off behind wooden barriers as the exhibition opened near Paris.