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Israel’s Defense Chief Calls Macron a ‘Disgrace to France’ After Israeli Firms Banned From Arms Show
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant speaks during a joint press conference with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at Israel’s Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, Israel, Dec. 18, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
Israel‘s defense minister on Wednesday called French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to ban Israeli firms from exhibiting at a naval arms show “a disgrace” and accused Paris of implementing a hostile policy towards the Jewish people.
The decision to bar Israeli firms is the latest incident in a row fueled by the Macron government’s unease over Israel‘s conduct in the wars against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah Lebanon.
It came after French efforts to secure a truce in the conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed terrorist organization Hezbollah in Lebanon foundered and as Israel carries out more airstrikes on targets in the country.
“French President Macron’s actions are a disgrace to the French nation and the values of the free world, which he claims to uphold,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant posted on X.
“France has adopted, and is consistently implementing, a hostile policy towards the Jewish people. We will continue defending our nation against enemies on 7 different fronts, and fighting for our future — with or without France.”
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.
Euronaval, organizer of the event set to take place in Paris from Nov. 4-7, said in a statement that the French government had informed it on Tuesday that Israeli delegations were not allowed to exhibit stands or show equipment, but could attend the trade show. The decision affected seven firms, it said.
It is the second time this year that France has banned Israeli firms from a major defense show. In May, France said conditions were not right for Israel to participate in the Eurosatory military trade show when Macron was calling for Israel to cease operations in Gaza, the enclave ruled by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
“These measures not only harm relations between our two countries, but also the bonds of trust that they have built, and thus cast doubt on France’s ability to play a leading role on the diplomatic scene to promote peace and stability in the Middle East,” the Israeli embassy said in a statement.
DIPLOMATIC SPARRING
Israeli forces have carried out numerous air strikes and a ground incursion targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, causing civilian casualties and leading Western allies, including France, to call for an immediate ceasefire.
Diplomatic sparring between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Macron has increased in recent weeks after Paris had worked with Washington to secure a 21-day truce that would then open the door to negotiations on a long-term diplomatic solution.
France and the United States were caught by surprise last month when Israel launched strikes that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Netanyahu has rejected a unilateral ceasefire that fails to stop Hezbollah, whose stated goal is to destroy the Jewish state, from rearming and regrouping. France has sought to continue to work on a diplomatic resolution.
Macron has irked Netanyahu several times, notably as United Nations peacekeeping forces have been caught in Israeli crossfire in southern Lebanon.
France, with nearly 700 troops in the 10,000-strong UNIFIL peacekeeping force, is one of the main European contributors alongside Italy and Spain.
Macron has called for an end to the supply to Israel of offensive weapons used in Gaza.
On Tuesday, Macron told a cabinet meeting that Netanyahu should not forget that Israel was created by a UN decision, according to a French official.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot sought to downplay the comments, saying they had been general remarks reminding Israel of the importance of respecting the UN charter.
But Netanyahu’s office said in response that Israel was established through “the War of Independence with the blood of our heroic fighters, many of whom were Holocaust survivors, including from the Vichy regime in France” — referring to the French government that had collaborated with Nazi Germany.
The post Israel’s Defense Chief Calls Macron a ‘Disgrace to France’ After Israeli Firms Banned From Arms Show first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.