The ongoing wars in Gaza and Lebanon have caused tensions in the French-Israeli relations, amid failed diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation.
The dispute has widened in recent days after France banned Israeli companies from exhibiting their products at an arms fair in Paris, with Israel vowing to take legal measures against the French President, Emmanuel Macron, reported Reuters.
Banning Israeli Firms
The dispute started when the organizers of EURONAVAL 2024, a naval defense fair which will take place in Paris from November 4-7, 2024, announced in a statement that it had received a notification from the French government that the Israeli delegations were not allowed to exhibit stands or equipment at the arms fair. It added that this decision affected seven Israeli firms.
Israeli delegations can still attend the show but contractors will not be able to showcase their military equipment.
The decision came against the backdrop of the Israeli conduct of wars in Gaza and Lebanon, which have led to civilian casualties and dire humanitarian conditions, and the French efforts to reach a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
In May, France also banned Israeli firms from taking part in the EUROSATORY 2024 exhibition, one of the world’s largest arms fairs. At the time, France said that conditions were not right for Israel’s participation when Macron was urging Israel to halt operations in Gaza.
Israel’s Backlash
The Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, said on Sunday that his ministry would take legal actions against the French President’s decision to ban Israel’s participation in the naval arms fair. The Israeli Minister called Macron’s decision “not acceptable between friendly nations,” urging him to cancel it.
After banning Israeli firms from exhibiting in EURONAVAL, Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, accused Paris of “adopting a hostile policy” towards Israel. Meanwhile, the Israeli embassy in France said that this decision would “harm relations between both countries.”
Arms Embargo
Tensions between both countries have heightened earlier this month when Macron called for an arms embargo to end the fighting in Gaza and Lebanon, as Israel’s military ramped up its attacks.
During his participation in the Med9 meeting in Cyprus, the French President said: “We have reiterated the need for a ceasefire, and this ceasefire is essential both in Gaza and in Lebanon.”
Macron added: “This is why France has called for an end to the export of weapons used in these theatres of war (…). We all know that this is the only way to put an end to it.”
The French President’s call for a ban on weapons sale prompted the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, to call for an arms embargo as he was expressing anger over Israel’s attacks on UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.
France’s Diplomatic Efforts
In response to Israel’s airstrikes and ground incursion in Lebanon, and the ensuing civilian casualties, Western allies, and France in particular, have called for an immediate ceasefire. Paris has sought to work on a diplomatic solution to end the conflict.
In recent weeks, France had been working with the US to reach a 21-day truce in Lebanon to pave the way for negotiations on a long-term diplomatic solution. However, Paris and Washington were surprised by Israel’s strikes that targeted Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, the next day, complicating the situation.
Moreover, France has expressed concern over Israeli attacks and violations against peacekeepers in Lebanon. France, alongside Italy and Spain, is one of the main contributors to the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission. It has 700 troops in the 10,000-strong peacekeeping force.
