Israel Halts Military Equipment Purchases from France

Israel has decided to halt imports of military equipment from France, responding to what it perceives as a hostile French policy. This was announced by a spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Defense to the French News Agency.

"The Director-General of the Ministry of Defense (...) has decided to zero out defense purchases from France, redirecting these funds" to the domestic market or to allied countries, the spokesperson stated.

This decision is a response to a series of French actions considered hostile by Israel, including Paris' recognition of the State of Palestine in September 2025 and the "recent ban on Israeli aircraft carrying munitions for the war against Iran from passing through French airspace."

Earlier, Paris expressed "surprise" at criticism from US President Donald Trump, who accused France of being "very uncooperative" in the war against Iran, due to the ban on aircraft carrying military equipment to Israel from using its airspace.

Between 2015 and 2024, French defense industries received orders worth 223.2 million euros from Israel, according to a report submitted to the French parliament. Total orders from foreign customers to French defense industries amounted to 21.6 billion euros in 2024.

The report clarifies that "France does not deliver weapons to Israel, but exports components mainly intended to be integrated into defense systems or re-exported to third countries."

Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ