Paris Eurosatory arms show shuts down Israeli company booths overnight
Smart Shooter, Controp, and Aeronautics are among the firms barred while Rafael and Elbit are allowed to remain open
Organizers of the prestigious Eurosatory arms exhibition in Paris shut down the booths of several Israeli defense companies overnight, barring them from displaying their products at one of the world's leading military technology showcases. Israel's Ministry of Defense called the move "cynical, unequal, and unsurprising." French authorities have only allowed Israeli firms to exhibit defensive weapons at the exhibition.
Smart Shooter, Controp, Orbit, Aeronautics, Marom, and Source were among the companies whose booths were closed for displaying offensive weapons systems, while booths belonging to Rafael, Elbit, and Israel Aerospace Industries were permitted to remain open, as they were showcasing defensive systems.
A protest message was pinned to the barrier erected in front of Controp's closed booth, reading, "Controp's long-range cameras defeated Iranian ballistic missiles but lost to French shortsightedness."
The closures follow a decision by the French government earlier this month barring Israel's Ministry of Defense from officially representing the State of Israel at the exhibition and prohibiting Israeli companies from displaying offensive weapons. It is the second consecutive year France has restricted Israeli participation in a domestic arms exhibition.
Israel's Ministry of Defense responded sharply, saying the move was intended to exclude Israeli technology "whose quality is proven daily across the Middle East" from the international stage. "The Ministry of Defense will continue to promote Israeli defense exports around the world to new heights, despite French attempts to conceal Israeli technological superiority from the world," the statement read.