By the Palestine Chronicle team

In the latest in a series of incidents marking heightened tensions between Paris and Tel Aviv, France bans Israel from participating in the Euronaval war show.

Israel has been banned from participating in the Euronaval show scheduled to take place in Paris, the French capital, from November 4 to 7, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The ban on Israeli businesses is the latest in a series of incidents that mark growing tension between France and Israel over Paris’ unease over Tel Aviv’s involvement in its wars in Gaza and Lebanon.

Israeli companies will be allowed to attend the fair but will be prohibited from displaying their weapons during the event.

The Naval Warfare Show features major companies such as BAE Systems, Naval Group and Fincantieri.

Major Israeli companies like Rafael, Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries were among the seven other contractors scheduled to participate in the show.

France’s latest decision comes months after Israel was banned from participating in one of the most important land-based arms shows, Eurosatory, in May, before a court ruling overturned the decision, but it was not in time for Israeli companies to participate.

“Israel created by the UN” – Netanyahu rejects Macron’s proposal amid heightened tensions

“A shame”

Israel was quick to comment on the ban through its Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who called the decision Wednesday a “disgrace,” accusing Paris of practicing “a hostile policy toward the Jewish people,” reported the Reuters news agency.

“The actions of French President Macron are a disgrace to the French nation and the values ​​of the free world, which he claims to defend,” Gallant said in an article on X cited by Reuters.

“France has adopted and constantly implements a hostile policy towards the Jewish people,” he reportedly added.

Israel’s defense minister nevertheless promised that this would not affect his country’s military performance in its wars raging across the region.

“We will continue to defend our nation against our enemies on seven different fronts and fight for our future – with or without France,” he stressed.

“Stop arming Israel” – Macron calls for a “political solution” in Gaza and Lebanon

According to Reuters, the Israeli embassy in Paris issued a statement saying the ban does not help relations between the two countries.

“These measures harm not only relations between our two countries, but also the bonds of trust that they have built, and thus cast doubt on France’s ability to play a leading role on the diplomatic scene to promote peace and stability in the Middle East”, the statement is quoted by Reuters.

“A shame”

The Euronaval ban comes amid heightened tensions between French President Emmanuel Macron and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu on Tuesday criticized the French president over his previous comments during a Cabinet meeting that “Netanyahu must not forget that Israel was founded (in 1948) by a UN decision, and that he therefore cannot ignore UN resolutions. »​​​​​​​

Speaking to Macron, the Israeli prime minister denied that Israel was created on the basis of a United Nations resolution, saying it was instead founded “by survivors of the Holocaust, including from the regime ( Nazi collaborator) of Vichy in France”.

Earlier this month, Netanyahu criticized the French president for his call to impose an arms embargo on Israel.

Netanyahu slams Macron’s position on arms embargo: ‘Shame on them’

On October 5, French President Emmanuel Macron called for a halt to arms deliveries to Israel, amid criticism of its military operations in Gaza, Agence France Presse reported.

Netanyahu responded by saying “Shame on them” about Macron and other Western leaders calling for an arms embargo against Israel.

“Israel will win with or without their support,” Netanyahu said in a video released by his office.

He also criticized Macron’s call, calling it a “disgrace.”

The French president, according to an Elysée statement, also condemned Israel’s “indiscriminate” military strikes in Gaza and Lebanon, and expressed outrage at Tel Aviv’s targeting of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the south of the country. .

(PC, MEMO)