Israeli companies have been banned from participating in November’s Dubai Airshow, a move that follows steps taken by similar exhibitions in Europe.
Tim Hawes, managing director of Informa Markets, which organizes the show, said all the registrations for Israeli defense companies had been withdrawn.
“Israeli companies won’t be participating as part of the exhibition,” Hawes was quoted by The National as telling reporters on the sidelines of a press conference about the air show.
“There was a technical review, which we do of all companies that take part in the show,” he said, adding that the decision had been made by the air show’s technical committee. He did not provide any further details.
Qatar strike
Last month, the UAE barred Israel after the IAF struck a building in Doha, Qatar, that killed five Hamas officials and a Qatari security officer. Israel contends that it was a Hamas building and that the strike was targeting senior Hamas leaders inside.
The attack caused an uproar across the region and led to US President Donald Trump signing an executive order that stated that any attack on Qatar would be considered a threat to the peace and security of the United States.
The Jerusalem Post understood at the time that Israeli company executives were told it was due to “security concerns,” but the executives were skeptical of the reason given.
Prior to Hawes’s statement on Tuesday, industry sources told The Jerusalem Post’s Defense & Tech section that they did not expect to attend the air show – the largest in the Middle East and one of the world’s largest aviation events.
Israel first attended the show in November 2021, inaugurating its first-ever national pavilion following the signing of the Abraham Accords. The delegation included the country’s largest defense companies, such as Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries, and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. In 2023, Israel’s participation was overshadowed by the October 7 massacre, and the stands were empty, as thousands of reservists were called up to fight.
Banned in Europe
Despite its reputation for cutting-edge military technology and battlefield-tested systems, Israel’s defense industry has been facing hurdles, including being banned from European weapons exhibitions.
For the past two years, France has blocked Israeli defense companies from exhibiting at arms fairs in the country. Israeli defense companies have also been banned from participating in this year’s NEDS trade fair in Rotterdam. A defense industry source told Defense & Tech that the Dubai ban was similar to what happened in the Netherlands.
Israeli government and military officials have also been denied participation in the DSEI exhibition outside of London. Israeli firms, including Israel Aerospace Industries, Rafael, and Elbit, as well as dozens of smaller ones, nevertheless participated. The UK’s Royal College of Defense Studies, one of the country’s most prestigious military academies, also banned Israelis from enrolling due to the war in Gaza.
“At a time when Israel is engaged on multiple fronts against Islamist extremists and terrorist organizations, forces that also threaten the West and international shipping lanes.
This decision by Britain plays into the hands of extremists, grants legitimacy to terrorism, and introduces political considerations wholly inappropriate for a professional defense industry exhibition,” the Defense Ministry said.