Israel to halt security procurement from 'hostile' France

An Israeli official told the Jerusalem Post the decision to stop the purchases was made under the directive of Defense Minister Israel Katz and Defense Ministry Director-General Amir Baram. According to the Jerusalem Post, it was taken as a result of France adopting what the news outlet called a hostile attitude towards Israel, forcing it to re-evaluate how much it could trust sharing its defence products with the country. Israeli media cite Paris's support for a UN resolution calling for an arms embargo on Israel, for which France had actually abstained from voting, as well as French restrictions on Israeli participation in defence exhibitions. In June, five Israeli arms manufacturers exhibiting offensive weapons were barred from attending the Paris Air Show, leading to accusations of antisemitism by Israeli officials. Four Israeli booths were eventually allowed to exhibit and, in November, all Israeli arms manufacturers were permitted to participate in the Milipol trade show. The new decision will not affect existing contracts and private companies will still be allowed to make deals, the Jerusalem Post reported. 'Not just defensive weapons' According to the French defence ministry's 2025 arms exports report, orders from Israel totalled 27.1m (31m) in 2024, an amount not seen since 2017. Beyond these orders, deliveries to Israel amounted to 16.1m, a figure in line with the average for the past 10 years. The French government said it officially halted the sale of offensive weaponry to Israel in 2024 and that only defensive components were being sold. However, researchers say that these assurances have obscured the real scale of French military support for Israel. When we examine the available figures and data, the facts are clear: no, these are not just so-called 'defensive' weapons, wrote Amnesty International France in December. Independent investigations by the investigative media outlet Disclose have even identified components of French weapons that were allegedly used on the ground in Gaza. These weapons could have been used to commit serious international crimes. Though France has been largely supportive of Israel throughout its genocidal war on Gaza, the government has at times called for restraint and criticised Israeli conduct. Lebanon tensions French President Emmanuel Macron has also criticised Israel's plans to create a so-called security zone in southern Lebanon, which is widely seen as an occupation. At a meeting in Tel Aviv last week, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot expressed France's reservations about Israel's ground operations in Lebanon. Israeli invasion of Lebanon could be worse than 1982, warn European officials Read More » He called on Israel to seize an historic opportunity and hold direct talks with the Lebanese authorities, after Macron agreed to host negotiations. The Lebanese government has signalled its unprecedented openness to direct talks at the highest level with Israel, Barrot said. In a post on X, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he had discussed with Barrot the scope of attacks on Israel from Lebanese territory and that, unfortunately, the Lebanese government and its army are not taking any meaningful action against Hezbollah, neither militarily nor in other aspects. The Israeli decision to end security purchases from France comes amid reports that the Israeli army targeted French soldiers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) in southern Lebanon over the weekend. According to BFMTV, three separate incidents were reported on Saturday, with no injuries. In the morning, Israeli soldiers reportedly pointed their weapons at the Unifil chief of staff and his deputy, but no fire was exchanged. Later that day, Israeli fire targeted a Unifil logistics convoy on a re-supply mission, which included French soldiers, while an Israeli tank targeted a Unifil rapid reaction unit, which also included French soldiers. On social media, Barrot denounced attacks on security and intimidation targeting UN personnel, describing them as unacceptable and unjustifiable. Israel's genocide in Gaza News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0