French President Emmanuel Macron (right) and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (center), in the courtyard of the Elysée, Paris, November 11, 2025 KAMIL ZIHNIOGLU FOR LE MONDE
He changed his mind, believing it would ease diplomatic tensions with Israel. At around 4 pm on Tuesday, November 11, President Emmanuel Macron ruled in favor of the Israeli companies, setting aside, for a time, the policy he himself had established a year earlier. He told his team that there was no question of imposing any boycott on companies from Israel listed as participants at the Milipol Paris security and homeland safety exhibition, scheduled from November 18 to 21.
The French government had established a principle, in effect since spring 2024, banning Israeli companies active in the Gaza war from trade exhibitions in France. The rule had led French authorities to bar Israeli defense industry participants from the Eurosatory World Defense and Security Exhibition in June 2024, to block their participation at the Euronaval exhibition in November of the same year, and to cover Israeli companies' stands with large black panels at the Bourget in the spring. The situation in the Palestinian enclave, described as "morally unacceptable," demanded showing "disapproval" and "distance," said François Bayrou, then prime minister, on June 16.
