A French court has reversed a government ban on Israeli firms participating in next week's Euronaval arms show near Paris, the organisers said on Thursday, confirming media report.
French President Emmanuel Macron visits a stand at Euronaval, the world naval defence exhibition in Le Bourget near Paris, France, October 23, 2018. Reuters/Benoit Tessier
A French court has reversed a government ban on Israeli firms participating in next week's Euronaval arms show near Paris, the organisers said on Thursday, confirming media reports.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
The decision earlier this month to bar Israeli firms from exhibiting at the naval arms show is the latest incident in a diplomatic row fuelled by the Macron government's unease over Israel's conduct in the wars in Gaza and Lebanon. Israeli officials called the move a "disgrace".
KEY QUOTE
"Sogena, the company organising the Euronaval exhibition, is complying with the court's ruling, just as it had complied with the government's previous decision," an Euronaval spokesperson said in e-mailed comments.
The Paris commercial court, which took the decision in a fast-tracked lawsuit, did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment.
CONTEXT
The trade fair, set to take place in Paris from Nov. 4-7, said earlier this month the French government had informed it that Israeli delegations were not allowed to exhibit stands or show equipment. The decision affected seven Israeli firms that were due to participate.
It was the second time this year that France has sought to ban Israeli firms from a major defence show.
French officials have repeatedly said that Paris is committed to Israel's security and point out that its military helped defend Israel after Iranian attacks in April and earlier this month.
Reporting by Tassilo Hummel
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in decades on Tuesday and both sides said they held positive discussions although it was not immediately clear if they agreed to a framework for peace.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has signaled his country's desire for full normalization with Lebanon, just ahead of a key round of peace talks scheduled in Washington.
Israeli and Lebanese envoys will meet for U.S.-mediated talks in Washington on Tuesday as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to calm weeks of Israeli fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah that has threatened to derail a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.