Israel slams UK decision to ban officials from leading defense show
Israel has accused the UK of “discrimination” upon its decision to ban government and military officials from attending a leading defense show in London next month.
On August 28, 2025, news broke that the UK government had decided that Israeli officials would not be welcome at DSEI UK due to the escalation of military activity in Gaza.
“The Israeli government’s decision to further escalate its military operation in Gaza is wrong. As a result, we can confirm that no Israeli government delegation will be invited to attend DSEI UK 2025,” a spokesperson for the British government said.
The official added: “There must be a diplomatic solution to end this war now, with an immediate ceasefire, the return of the hostages and a surge in humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.”
However, the ban does not stretch to cover Israeli defense companies, which are still free to attend the biannual show being held between September 9 and 12, 2025.
Israel Defense ForcesOn August 29, 2025, a spokesperson for Israel’s Ministry of Defense confirmed that the UK government had placed restrictions on its representatives attending the exhibition.
“These restrictions amount to a deliberate and regrettable act of discrimination against Israel’s representatives,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also confirmed that the Ministry of Defense’s national pavilion will not feature at the event, but offered its full support to Israeli firms attending.
“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 spokesperson added.
In recent weeks the UK has taken a more combative approach towards Israel and its military offensive in Gaza.
On August 11, 2025, the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that he will recognize a Palestinian state in September 2025 unless Israel changes its course and agrees to a ceasefire.
At the Paris Air Show in June 2025, French authorities shut down stands belonging to four Israeli defense companies.
The stands were closed after the companies refused to remove offensive or kinetic weapons from their displays.
Le gouvernement français a ordonné de condamner l’accès aux stands de cinq industriels israéliens de l’armement exposant des “armes offensives” au salon aéronautique du Bourget pic.twitter.com/bIELT4SGHX— Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) June 16, 2025 DSEI, the Defence and Security Equipment International, brings together defense and security companies from across land, sea, air, space and cyber industries.
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Israel has accused the UK of “discrimination” upon its decision to ban government and military officials from attending…
The post Israel slams UK decision to ban officials from leading defense show appeared first on AeroTime.
