Following the decision to bar Israeli companies from the major arms exhibition Eurosatory in Paris, a French district court on Saturday banned all Israeli nationals from participating in the event.
Elik Cohen, Vice President of Sales at Cylinx, a company developing communication products for security agencies that planned to attend the exhibition, told Ynet on Sunday that "the damage is enormous - both in terms of reputation and financially."
"This is a very important exhibition in Europe, perhaps the most important one, and we have been exhibiting there regularly for years," according to him. "The main problem is not our absence from the exhibition, as there are other exhibitions, but that we prepared for it and it was canceled for us at the last moment. Preparing for such an exhibition is very expensive, starting with the space rented at the exhibition, booth planning and so on.
"Beyond that, there's the issue of reputation, which is hard to assess the extent of the damage. For our company specifically, it's tens of thousands of dollars, but for large companies like Elbit and Rafael, I assume it's millions of dollars. The main damage is to our image, the fact that we are being ostracized in the same category as the Russians or perhaps even the Iranians. This is while 'great human rights defenders' like Qatar, the Emirates and Saudi Arabia are exhibiting there."
Are you concerned that this is the first domino leading to future exhibition bans and affecting your sales?
"Absolutely, and I think the feeble response from the government or the responsible bodies, such as the Defense Ministry and the government as a whole, is simply disgraceful."
Have you received reactions from potential clients or partners following this boycott?
"The French we work with expressed every possible emotion, from deep shame to outrage. Globally, our colleagues were, of course, shocked. People in the industry, unlike the general public, understand the situation much better. Within such an exhibition, support for Israel is very high; these are people who understand what's happening here, what it's about, and many of them see us as a gateway to Europe, as guardians protecting Europe.
"The problem, of course, is that the general public doesn’t see it this way. I also believe Macron’s decision was primarily for political reasons ahead of the European Parliament elections. It probably didn't help him much, and there may also be a business consideration here. There are many defense businesses in Europe, and Israeli companies compete with French companies, which could be another reason. In any case, I think the main problem is the response from the government and the relevant authorities."
Developments since the cancellation of the Israeli pavilion
France's decision to ban Israel from participating in the fair was made last month, amid allegations of war crimes and genocide in Gaza. As a result, the Israeli pavilion, which was supposed to include 74 exhibitors from Israel, was canceled. However, the organizers initially announced that Israeli nationals would still be allowed to visit the fair.
However, a pro-Palestinian organization thought the decision did not go far enough and filed a petition with the court, arguing that canceling the pavilion did not ensure the absence of Israelis at the fair. The court accepted the claim and ordered the organizing company to also prevent the entry of Israeli nationals who might act as intermediaries for those Israeli defense companies. The court believed that the organizers had left an opening for the participation of Israeli weapons manufacturers or any employee or representative of Israeli defense companies.
The court's decision stated that the ruling prohibits the entry of any individual or legal entity that might act on behalf of Israeli companies as an intermediary. Additionally, the court asserted that the organizers' decision to allow the entry of representatives of Israeli companies was blatantly illegal. The court instructed the organizing company to post the decision at the entrances of the Villepinte Exhibition Center on the outskirts of Paris, where the prestigious arms fair is being held.
The pro-Palestinian organization welcomed the decision, interpreting it unequivocally: to ban the entry of Israelis to the arms fair – in other words, to ensure the fair is free of Israelis.