France's ban on Israeli weapons at Eurosatory 'shameful', says economy minister

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Israel's economy minister Nir Barkat condemned France's decision to exclude Israeli offensive weapons from Eurosatory, a major European defense fair, calling the ban "shameful" in an interview with France 24. Barkat warned that Israel would circumvent France to reach customers and defended military operations against Iran as necessary for survival. He rejected concerns about Israel's international reputation, stating he would rather "be alive and deal with my image" than compromise on security, a stark articulation of how Israeli officials view the tradeoff between military necessity and diplomatic standing.