FALCON POWERS – The military relationship between France and Israel faces an uncertain future as reports suggest that Paris has decided to reduce arms exports to Tel Aviv to avoid accusations of involvement in the war on Gaza. According to a report in Le Monde on Monday, the French Ministry of Defense has minimized its arms exports to Israel.
In late October, during the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, France suspended the export of components used in artillery shells. French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu denied allegations that Paris supplied ammunition components used by the Israeli army in the war. France is the world’s second-largest arms exporter in 2023, with total exports reaching €27 billion, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Between 2013 and 2022, France’s total arms exports to Tel Aviv amounted to around €200 million, according to data from the French Ministry of Defense. However, Paris faces accusations of supporting the Israeli army, which employs its weapons in the war on Gaza. According to French military expert Dominique Caraïbes, the French decision is a sign of the success of the “Stop Arming Israel” movement in pressuring the government, which now fears prosecution in international courts after legal actions were taken against British and American companies.
He states, “Unprecedented protests were launched outside arms companies such as Safran Defense and others to encourage workers to refuse to work on any weapons supplied to Israel.”
