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France shuts down Israeli military stands at Paris Air Show
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<span class="field field-title">France shuts down Israeli military stands at Paris Air Show</span>
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<div class="field field-field-text"><p data-pm-slice="1 1 []" dir="ltr">French authorities have closed four major Israeli company stands at the Paris Air Show, citing the display of bombs and offensive weapons, a decision Israel has strongly criticised as tensions rise between the two nations.</p>
<p dir="ltr">A source close to the situation told Reuters that French officials issued the order after Israeli firms ignored a directive from a French security agency to remove kinetic or offensive weapons from their exhibits.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Three smaller Israeli stands without hardware and an Israeli Ministry of Defence stand remain operational.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Israel’s defence ministry condemned the move, stating it refused to comply with demands to remove certain weapons systems. In response, show organisers erected a black partition overnight, isolating Israeli pavilions from other displays after setups were complete.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“This outrageous and unprecedented decision reeks of policy-driven and commercial considerations,” the ministry said in a statement.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“The French are hiding behind supposedly political considerations to exclude Israeli offensive weapons from an international exhibition - weapons that compete with French industries.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Meshar Sasson, senior vice president at Elbit Systems, slammed the French authorities’ actions.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“If you cannot beat them in technology, just hide them right? That’s what it is because there’s no other explanation,” he said, highlighting Elbit’s recent contract wins across Europe.</p>
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