The Milipol exhibition, a global event dedicatd to States' internal security, in Villepinte, near Paris, in Nov. 2019. (Credit: Bertrand Guay/AFP)
BEIRUT — French President Emmanuel Macron has authorized Israeli companies to take part in the Milipol Paris security expo, set for Nov. 18–21 at the Villepinte Exhibition Center near Paris, the Élysée said Thursday.
The French presidency stated that "in the context of the war in Gaza, the doctrine regarding the participation of Israeli companies in defense and security trade shows remains valid."
‘Evolving situation on the ground’
Since 2024, the French government had in fact barred several Israeli companies involved in the war in Gaza from attending various defense trade shows.
But "given the evolving situation on the ground following the cease-fire," the head of state "has decided to allow all Israeli companies that wish to participate in Milipol to do so," the French presidency said.
The Élysée explained that "this decision aims to contribute to a constructive dialogue with the Israeli authorities on all matters relating to peace in the Middle East and our bilateral relations."
Several associations and human rights NGOs (Al-Haq, Lawyers for Justice in the Middle East, Union Juive Française pour la Paix, Survie, Nidal, Stop Fuelling War—supported by the Coalition Guerre à la Guerre and, for legal strategy, Droits et Mouvements Sociaux) had sent a formal notice to Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu as well as Civipol and Comexposium, the organizers of the expo.
‘Matter settled!’
Faced with what seemed like an upcoming ban, the Israeli press had reported earlier this week that eight Israeli companies would be barred from exhibiting at Milipol.
On Tuesday, former MP for French nationals abroad in Israel Meyer Habib had voiced outrage on social media, decrying the move as a "huge scandal" and an "attack on Israel by the French government" in a post on X tagging the French president.
But after this reversal, Habib praised Emmanuel Macron's intervention by sharing screenshots of a supposed text conversation with the head of state. "I promised to intervene for you. That's what I'm doing! You're the only one who can overturn this decision," Habib wrote, before apparently receiving a response from Macron four hours later: "Matter settled! Cheers."
Israeli entrepreneurs had previously been prevented from exhibiting in France at the Eurosatory land defense expo in spring 2024, before being authorized at the last minute by the courts to show at the Euronaval expo that fall.
Just last June, several stalls of Israeli arms manufacturers exhibiting "offensive weapons" at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget had their access blocked by decision of the French government, prompting anger from Israel.
A cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas went into effect on Oct. 10 under U.S. pressure. Since then, at least 245 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire or airstrikes in violation of that same truce, according to reports.
The Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack in Israel, which sparked the Gaza war, resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data.
Since then, at least 69,176 Palestinians — mostly civilians — have been killed in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli military’s retaliatory campaign, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, whose numbers are considered reliable by the United Nations.
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