Following instructions from IMOD Director General, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Amir Baram, Israel formally rejected the demand to remove the systems. In response, the organisers erected a black wall around the Israeli pavilions, physically separating them from other national displays, including those of Turkey and China.
“This outrageous and unprecedented decision reeks of policy-driven and commercial considerations,” the IMOD stated, denouncing the organisers’ overnight actions, which were implemented after Israeli companies had completed their exhibit installations. The Ministry noted that the segregation wall effectively isolates Israeli participants from the rest of the exhibition.
The IMOD linked the move to broader geopolitical tensions, declaring, “This comes at a time when Israel is fighting a necessary and just war to eliminate the nuclear and ballistic threat facing the Middle East, Europe, and the entire world.” Officials accused the French of hiding behind political motives to undermine Israeli industry.
“The French are hiding behind supposedly political considerations to exclude Israeli offensive weapons from an international exhibition—weapons that compete with French industries,” the Ministry claimed. The statement pointed to the “impressive and precise performance” of Israeli technologies in Iran as a possible motive for the exclusion.
The IMOD has urged both the French government and event organisers to “reverse this ugly and improper action”. It called for the immediate removal of the black segregation walls and demanded that Israeli industries be permitted to showcase their systems on equal footing with all other participants.
