A French court has rejected a petition filed by several anti-Israel organizations seeking to ban Israel’s participation in the Paris Air Show (Salon du Bourget), one of the world’s largest and most influential aerospace and defense exhibitions. The court ruled that the issue falls under the authority of the French government, not the judiciary.
The petition was submitted by groups including Attac-France, Al-Haq, and the Union Juive Française pour la Paix (UJFP), who argued that Israel’s participation in the exhibition would promote companies allegedly involved in violations of international law. The court, however, upheld the position of the event organizers, including the French Aerospace Industries Association (GIFAS), that the matter is administrative and does not fall under judicial review.
This ruling aligns with previous decisions made by French courts in 2023 and 2024, which also rejected attempts to block Israeli companies from participating in other major defense trade fairs such as Eurosatory and Euronaval.
Israel is expected to showcase a range of defense technologies at the upcoming Paris Air Show in June 2025 through companies such as Rafael, Elbit Systems, and Israel Aerospace Industries. The court’s decision clears the way for the continued presence of Israeli defense firms at the event.
Illustrative image. AI-generated for editorial purposes only
