France blocks access to ‘offensive' Israeli arms stands at Paris Air Show
France on Monday blocked access to the stands of four Israeli arms manufacturers at the Paris Air Show for displaying "offensive weapons", according to a French government source.
A black wall blocked off stands run by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Rafael, Uvision, Elbit and Aeronautics for showing "offensive weapons", including those used in Gaza, which allegedly violated terms made with Israel, said the source.
The stands were those being used by Elbit Systems, Rafael, IAI and Uvision. Three smaller Israeli stands, which didn't have hardware on display, and an Israeli Ministry of Defence stand, remain open.
Rafael, Elbit and IAI produce guided bombs and missiles, while Uvision and Aeronautics produce drones.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the move on Monday as "outrageous" and called for it to be "immediately corrected".
"Israeli companies have signed contracts with the organisers... it's like creating an Israeli ghetto," he said on French television channel LCI.
The Israeli Ministry of Defence also denounced the decision in a statement, calling it a form of "segregation" against the Israeli companies.
"This outrageous and unprecedented decision reeks of policy-driven and commercial considerations," it added.
IAI's president and CEO, Boaz Levy, said the black partition walls were reminiscent of "the dark days of when Jews were segmented from European society".
Rafael described the French move as "unprecedented, unjustified, and politically motivated".
Two US Republican politicians attending the air show also criticised the French move.
Talking to reporters outside the blacked-out Israeli defence stalls, US Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders described the decision as "pretty absurd", while Republican Senator Katie Britt criticised it as "short-sighted".
The French prime minister's office did not immediately return a request for comment.
Some 75 companies related to weapons production were set to participate at the show which opened on Monday, with military jets, helicopters and drones on display.
Nine Israeli companies – fewer than in the past – were expected to have displays after a French court rejected a bid by NGOs to ban them over their alleged role in the Gaza conflict.
More than 2,400 companies from 48 countries are showing off their hardware at the weeklong event at the Le Bourget airfield on the outskirts of the French capital.
The air show's organiser said in a statement that it was in talks to try to help "the various parties find a favourable outcome to the situation".
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