Defense Ministry says French move blocks Israeli pavilion and government representatives from Eurosatory, limits defense firms to air defense systems onlyynet|Updated:France has informed Israel that it will bar its official participation in the Eurosatory defense exhibition, scheduled to take place later this month in Paris.As a result, Israel's Defense Ministry said it will be unable to participate in the exhibition or set up a national pavilion.1 View gallery (Photo: Christophe Ena / POOL / AFP, Ludovic MARIN / AFP)According to the ministry, the French decision includes a ban on Israeli government representatives attending the exhibition, a ban on opening an Israeli national pavilion and a restriction allowing Israeli defense companies to display only air defense products. Offensive systems will be excluded, the ministry said.The ministry said the policy was being applied “selectively and discriminatorily” compared with other participating countries and was “in direct violation of the established norms governing international defense exhibitions.”In unusually sharp language, the ministry called the move “a disgraceful decision” that “reeks of political and commercial calculation,” adding that it reflected what it described as “a deeply troubling pattern in French conduct in recent years.”The ministry also accused France of acting “in direct contradiction” to the values of liberty and democracy it says it upholds, and said Paris was using “a pretense of political justification” to exclude Israeli offensive defense systems from the exhibition.According to the ministry, the Israeli systems have “demonstrated exceptional precision and effectiveness” against terrorist organizations and regimes threatening Israel, regional stability and global security.First published: 17:45, 06.01.26