France has banned the display of Israeli offensive weapons at the 2026 Eurosatory international defence and security exhibition, set for June 15–19 at the Paris Nord Villepinte exhibition center [1, 2, 3, 4]. Israeli government officials are also prohibited from attending the event [1, 2].
The French government and Defence Council made the decision to restrict Israeli participation to equipment related only to air defence and missile defence systems [1, 2, 3, 4]. Charles Beaudouin, president of COGES Events, the exhibition organiser, explained that "Only Israeli exhibitors presenting anti-ballistic and anti-air defence systems are authorised. If an exhibitor is also a rocket manufacturer, they will not be allowed to display them. This ensures that no offensive weapons are present" [2].
There will be no display of Israeli offensive weapons, including rockets, at the 2026 Eurosatory show [2, 3, 4]. The exhibition is expected to host over 2,600 exhibitors from around the world [1].
Israeli-French relations have deteriorated since December 2023, triggered by France's criticism of Israeli military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as Israel's actions against Iran supported by the US [1, 2, 3, 4]. France previously barred Israel from the 2024 Eurosatory exhibition because of the Gaza war [1, 2].
The Israeli defence ministry called the French decision "disgraceful" and accused it of political and commercial calculation. A ministry spokesperson said, "It fits a deeply troubling pattern in French conduct in recent years — a pattern that has consistently placed France on the wrong side of history" [1, 2, 3, 4].
The 2026 Eurosatory exhibition will proceed from June 15 to 19 as planned, with Israel limited to exhibiting only defensive systems related to air and missile defence [1, 3, 4].
