Israel has slammed France for barring four of its arms manufacturers from the Paris Air Show, in the latest sign of increasing tensions between the two countries over Israel’s bombardment and blockade of Gaza.
The stands of Elbit Systems, Rafael, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Uvision were obscured behind black barriers on Monday after they refused to comply with an order from the French government to remove any offensive weapons from display.
“This outrageous and unprecedented decision reeks of policy-driven and commercial considerations,” said the Israeli defence ministry in a statement, accusing France of seeking to exclude “weapons that compete with French industries”.