Paris- In a corner inside the Le Burgih International Airlines exhibition in Paris, visitors collided with a black wall that does not bearing the name of a company or slogan, but 5 wings of major Israeli companies disappeared behind it that the French government ordered to close because of its offering offensive weapons.
If the scene appears artistic detailed in a technological exhibition, it turned into a political position and exchange of words of condemnation and justification between Paris and Tel Aviv.
The opening day of the exhibition, organized by the French Aviation and Space Industries Association (Guevas), coincides with the military escalation between Iran and Israel and the continuous Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, as well as France’s upcoming declaration of recognition of the Palestinian state.
Condemnation and welcome
Al -Jazeera Net continued with the French Ministry of Armed Forces to comment on the decision of the organizers of the Paris Air Exhibition, but it was satisfied with the e -mail with a short message, saying: “We invite you to read the statement of French Prime Minister Francois Bayro on this topic.”
In the context, Bayro justified this decision by saying: “The offensive weapons should have been present,” considering that the situation in Gaza is “morally unacceptable.”
By order of the French government, 5 out of 7 Israeli wings were surrounded by huge black fabric regulations, which actually closed them on the first day of the largest air exhibition in the world, the Israeli AII, IAI, Raphael, Juventus, Ebit, and Ironotix, which produce bombs, missiles and drones.
The Israeli response came quickly, as the Israeli Ministry of Defense condemned what it called the “apartheid” and considered that “the removal of offensive weapons systems contradicts usual practices in defense exhibitions around the world,” describing this decision as “scandalous and unprecedented.”
On the other hand, deputies of the “Abbi France” party and the “Jordi” Association for Lawyers praised to respect international law this measure, which they have long defended to achieve.
“It is unacceptable that these companies and representatives of the Israeli government will receive under the auspices of the French government, while Israel continues its violations of international law by committing a real genocide in Gaza, and it has just started a new military escalation by hitting Iran.”
Exploiting the situation
This exhibition, which started yesterday, Monday, will continue until June 22, every two years in Le Burgih in Paris, and welcomes several actors, including major companies and military personnel in the aviation and space sectors.
Despite the participation of Israeli weapons companies in previous versions and exporting weapons of approximately $ 14 billion to all parts of the world in 2024, they remain more restricted than before because of the current political context that raises moral and legal questions.
And since the Israeli companies decided to display offensive weapons anyway, the former French army general, François ohuvsi, believes that the French government’s reaction focused on the issue of compliance or lack of compliance with the rules, not excluded from the idea that Israeli industrialists wanted to force France and stir up.
France closed four of the largest wings of Israeli companies at the Paris Air Show for refusing to remove offensive weapons from the show in a move convicted of Israel and highlighted the tensions between the two traditional allies#Tel Aviv Tribune #video pic.twitter.com/rgzytwtez5
– Al -Jazeera Palestine (@Aja_palestine) June 17, 2025
Speaking to Al -Jazeera Net believes that the Israelis wanted to use the opportunity of the exhibition, because the current French position towards what is happening in Gaza and the military escalation between Iran and Israel is still critical.
He explained that French President Emmanuel Macron wants to recognize a Palestinian state, but after Israel launched a war against Iran, he does not want to disavow operations, especially protecting the Israeli airspace, as was the case in the first attack or the last two months ago.
This is not the first time that the Israelis were prevented from participating. In the spring of 2024, they were prevented at the French “Eurosatury” exhibition for land defense, before the courts granted them permission to participate to display their products at the “Euronaval” exhibition, which was held in the autumn of the same year.
The intersection of interests
Given Macron’s explicit announcement, last Friday, that France can participate in “operations to protect and defend Israel”, the Israeli ambassador to Paris denounced this contradiction in the French position, saying, “It is sometimes difficult to understand the French approach towards Israel.”
Therefore, Francois ohunsansei believes that the military side occupies a great space in international relations, adding, “We return to the eighth item of the continuation of the war and the continuation of politics by other means, and that the countries have become less frequent in using force, then there is a claim of those who do not want to be drawn into conflict.”
Commenting on the Iranian -Israeli escalation, General Zovansi highlighted the importance of what is currently happening in this conflict, especially since, even if America does not abandon Israel, but it is involved in the matter publicly and interferes from a distance.
As for Europe, the speaker does not believe that the Europeans today – even if they have political positions – are based on the commitment to the military position that they should bear responsibility, including participation in wars or the protection of a neighboring country.
It is expected to visit 300,000 people to the Paris Air Exhibition, with the participation of 2400 exhibitors from 48 countries, distributed over an area of 70 hectares.
“The third dimension”
Away from the current political and military context, a new shift in the rules of war is highlighted and changes the world’s view of tomorrow’s war. For example, the Iranian -Israeli escalation does not include any ground forces and the fighting area is concentrated in the airspace.
“They are forces fighting away from the use of aircraft, calamities and missiles, unlike the Gaza and Ukraine war.”
“We return to the concept of the third dimension, which is supposed to be the key to military success. Therefore, it may be easier for politicians, as it was in the past, during the nineties and beyond. We are not only fighting in the air between planes, but we also fight with vectors that collide with the land, including in the civil field.”
“Macron overcomes the red line” .. Tensions between France and Israel are increasing after the French authorities closed the wings of Israeli companies at the Paris Air Show pic.twitter.com/zkyrotfckm
– Al -Jazeera Mubasher (@ajmubasher) June 17, 2025
Gen. Chauvansei believes that “although the lessons of the conflict between Israel and Iran are not absorbing, we also face positions in which we fight from a distance,” and continues, “It may be more like a rebellion, but the difference compared to progress is that we are incurring heavy losses and tremendous destruction, without any actual participation of the armed forces on the ground.”