The Strategic Imprudence of Shunning Israeli Defense Companies
By Kennedy Lee on July 16, 2024
Europe’s largest defense expo has now concluded without Israeli representation. The hurried decision of the French Defense Ministry to ban Israeli companies from participating in the biennial Eurosatory defense exhibition in Paris following President Emmanuel Macron’s call for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza—since overturned by a French court on grounds of discrimination—was rightfully met with criticism on moral grounds from some high-profile figures.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo posted on X: “The French decision to ban Israel from a defense forum—while welcoming the Chinese Communist Party—is reprehensible. It’s morally bankrupt to target the one Jewish state as it fights a defensive war against terrorism.”
Secretary Pompeo is correct. A search for “China” on the list of Eurosatory exhibitors yields 61 results. Not only is it a moral failing to host companies like Norinco, one of China’s largest state-owned defense manufacturers, which just last month was one of six PRC companies named by the House Select Committee on China as potentially critical to helping Iran evade U.S. sanctions on its military and energy sector. (The Committee called for Secretary of the Treasury Yellen to investigate whether the companies have violated U.S. sanctions or otherwise warrant sanctions.)
https://providencemag.com/2024/07/the-strategic-imprudence-of-shunning-israeli-defense-companies/
