cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/14275507

The black walls appeared overnight ahead of the show’s opening Monday, visually isolating Israeli booths from dozens of other international exhibitors. The Israeli Defense Ministry said the move followed a last-minute demand from organizers to remove offensive weapons systems from display — a request they rejected.

The [French] official said Israeli exhibitors were told weeks in advance that they couldn’t exhibit certain types of equipment, and that the walls were erected as a last resort when five of them didn’t comply. Four others did and are allowed to exhibit. The official did not elaborate on what kind of equipment was not allowed, or why.

The president and CEO of Israeli company IAI, Boaz Levy, said it has exhibited at the Paris Air Show for decades and had received authorizations to display its equipment.

‘’Last night, after our booth was set up and ready for the show, we were asked to remove some of our systems from the booth. We tried to negotiate with them, but it seems these orders came from the highest levels in Paris,’’ he said in a statement. ‘’This morning, when we arrived at our booth, we were shocked to find out that we were blocked by black walls built overnight.’’