Photo: Eurosatory 

At the Eurosatory International Defense and Security trade show, the world’s largest land arms fair, which took place in Villepinte (near Paris) from 15 to 19 June 2026, the stands of twelve Israeli arms manufacturers stands were completely sealed off. Al-Haq welcomes the action as an important development building on Al-Haq’s advocacy and litigation, and calls for the further complete banning of all Israeli arms manufacturers and delegations attendance and participation.

Before the show opened, France’s position remained that Israeli companies would only be allowed to display “defensive weapons”, while other companies could display offensive military systems. Israeli companies who came to the show arrived with only so-called “defensive” equipment for display. Regardless, upon inspection, France covered these companies’ stands given the “non-compliance with the conditions defined by the French authorities”, given their dual use application. We note three that while three leading Israeli arms manufacturers, Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael, were allowed to maintain their stands open, unlike the other exhibitors, none of these displayed weapons in public view.

Al-Haq welcomes this decision, as a step in the right direction, which is indeed justified in light of the blurred distinction between offensive and defensive purposes. This distinction is further irrelevant in the context of Israel’s illegal occupation of the Palestinian territory, which the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its landmark 2024 Advisory Opinion Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, recommended must end as rapidly as a possible. As such, any weapon, weapon component or military system or equipment used by Israel to maintain its military presence in the OPT, serves the purpose of its illegal occupation, breaching jus cogens norms of international law, prohibiting the acquisition of territory through use of force, the denial of self-determination, and the maintenance of a regime of racial discrimination and apartheid.

Importantly, this development builds on the collaborative work of Al-Haq and its partners over the past three years in France accomplished within the framework of the “Droits et Mouvements Sociaux” (Social Rights and Movements). In 2024, our joint legal action resulted in Israeli delegations and arms subsidiaries being banned from the Eurosatory show, as decided by the Bobigny Tribunal based on the obligation, as a private actor, to prevent any risk of contributing in any way to serious international crimes regardless of the measures taken by the executive.

While this ground-breaking decision was later overturned by the Paris Court of Appeal, challenging the power of a judge to interpret an act of government, the French government on 31 May 2024, nonetheless instructed COGES, the organiser of the Eurosatory to stop admitting Israeli arms companies to the show. Notably, the decision of the Paris Court of Appeal is currently subject to a judicial review, due to the conduct of French foreign affairs in breaching France’s “international law responsibilities in the face of an ongoing genocide”.

Even under French civil law, public order and in particular the principle of human dignity, the bilateral contracts concluded by Israeli companies and COGES, the organiser of the Eurosatory show, are illegal. Al-Haq and partners raised similar arguments legally challenging the participation of Israeli companies at the Paris International Air Show (commonly known as Salon du Bourget), where France similarly allowed Israeli companies to display military equipment provided that they displayed only “defensive weapons”.

While Al-Haq welcomes France’s inspection and decision to shut down Israeli stands regardless of Israeli companies’ claim that they would exhibit only defensive weapons, it is our contention that this is not enough to meet France’s international obligations in the face of Israel’s continuing genocidal destruction of the Palestinian people. Allowing Israeli arms companies to take part in the 2026 Eurosatory even without displaying their products, offered them the possibility to host visitors and discuss potential collaborations and contracts. This enabled the participation of Israeli delegations, as well as foreign companies that have delivered weapons to Israel, were allowed to attend the show.

Al-Haq once again warns that France is failing to meet its full commitment to prevent illegal occupation, annexation, apartheid and genocide, which includes stopping the participation of Israeli arms and State delegations, stopping the facilitation of all contracts for Israeli arms, and ending all arms trade with Israel.