Israeli defense firms face ban from world's largest naval fair

After the decision to ban Israeli companies from exhibiting at the world's largest naval arms exhibition, Euronaval, scheduled to take place in Paris, the organizing company announced that they would be allowed to exhibit – provided they were not part of the Israeli security effort in Gaza and Lebanon.

But in fact, there is no Israeli company that was not part of the war effort, so the announcement makes no difference. This is an exhibition in which hundreds of international companies developing naval vessels and naval weapons take part every year, including many Israeli companies.

Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz instructed, in an unusual decision, Foreign Ministry officials to assist in legal proceedings and political action against French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to ban Israeli companies from exhibiting at the world's largest naval arms exhibition in Paris.

"Boycotting Israeli companies for the second time, or imposing unacceptable threshold conditions, are undemocratic measures that are unacceptable among friendly countries, and I call on French President Macron to cancel them completely," the minister said.

He added: "Israel stands alone at the forefront of the struggle against the Iranian axis of evil and radical Islam, and France and the entire free world must stand by it and not act against it."