By: Andrew Carlson

Israel’s Defense Ministry announced Friday that it will withdraw from a major defense exhibition in London this fall, after the British government imposed restrictions that Jerusalem described as discriminatory and politically motivated. The move marks another flashpoint in Israel’s strained relations with several European governments following the Gaza war, and underscores the deepening politicization of the global defense industry.

According to a statement released by the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) and reported by The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) on Friday, the restrictions placed on Israeli participation in the DSEI UK 2025 exhibition—scheduled to run from September 9 to 12—“amount to a deliberate and regrettable act of discrimination against Israel’s representatives.”

The ministry added pointedly: “Accordingly, the IMOD will withdraw from the exhibition and will not establish a national pavilion.” While Israel’s state-owned defense industries will no longer participate, privately owned Israeli firms that still wish to exhibit at the event will receive “the Ministry’s full support,” the statement said.

Israeli officials reacted with sharp frustration, arguing that London’s decision reflects not technical or logistical considerations, but rather political pressure stemming from the ongoing war with Hamas.

“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 ministry warned, in comments circulated in the JNS report.

The IMOD emphasized that DSEI has historically been a platform for cooperation among democratic nations, enabling allies to share technology and bolster security in an increasingly volatile global environment. Israel’s exclusion, it stressed, undermines that spirit of collaboration at a moment when Western navies and air forces are confronting the very same missile and drone threats that Israel faces from Iranian-backed proxies.

DSEI (Defence and Security Equipment International) is one of the world’s largest and most influential defense industry gatherings. Held biennially in London, it draws hundreds of companies and government delegations from dozens of countries. Exhibitors showcase next-generation military platforms, from naval destroyers to cyber-defense software, and the event serves as a networking hub where international contracts worth billions are often negotiated.

For Israel, the exhibition has long been an important showcase for its cutting-edge defense technologies, which range from missile defense systems like the Iron Dome and David’s Sling to advanced unmanned aerial platforms and electronic warfare suites.

According to the information provided in the JNS report, Israeli firms view DSEI as critical not only for accessing European markets but also for forging partnerships with Asian and African delegations that send representatives to London. Israel’s sudden withdrawal therefore risks constraining its ability to highlight its battlefield-tested systems, which have drawn global attention in light of Hamas’s October 7 massacre and the subsequent war in Gaza.

This is not the first time Israeli participation in European defense exhibitions has become the subject of political controversy. As the JNS report recalled, in late 2024 the French government initially barred Israeli companies from attending the Euronaval defense exhibition near Paris, stipulating that only firms not involved in operations in Lebanon or Gaza could exhibit. The restriction was ultimately overturned by a Paris court on October 30, which ruled that the ban violated constitutional principles of equality.

Similarly, at the Paris Air Show in June 2025, organizers erected physical barriers to wall off portions of the Israeli pavilion, sparking a diplomatic dispute between Jerusalem and Paris. The gesture, which was condemned by Israeli officials as humiliating and unnecessary, epitomized the growing effort by European states to distance themselves from Israel’s defense sector.

France, the United Kingdom, and Spain have all imposed partial or full arms embargoes on Israel since the start of the Gaza war. The embargos have been justified by these governments as responses to what they term “excessive” Israeli military actions. But as the JNS report highlighted, such restrictions ignore the context of Hamas’s October 7 invasion, during which 1,219 Israelis—mostly civilians—were murdered and 251 others kidnapped in the worst terrorist atrocity that has befallen the Jewish people since the Holocaust.

Analysts note that Israel’s absence from DSEI carries both material and symbolic costs. In practical terms, Israel’s defense industries lose an opportunity to present their technologies alongside global competitors, a significant setback given the intense competition in the international arms market.

Symbolically, Israel’s exclusion feeds a narrative of isolation, one that adversaries such as Iran and its proxies are eager to amplify. By treating Israel differently than other states engaged in armed conflicts, critics argue, European governments risk legitimizing Hamas’s propaganda and reinforcing double standards against the Jewish state.

As one Israeli defense official told JNS, “When Britain or France tells us our companies can only attend if they meet political conditions, it sends a dangerous signal. It suggests that defending ourselves against terrorism is itself illegitimate.”

The precise nature of the restrictions imposed by the U.K. government has not been publicly disclosed. British defense officials have maintained silence, neither confirming nor denying reports that Israel was asked to scale back its pavilion or exclude companies tied to specific operations in Gaza.

According to the information contained in the JNS report however, Israeli sources believe the move was a direct response to domestic political pressure in Britain, where pro-Hamas activism has intensified since the war’s outbreak. Weekly demonstrations in London have drawn tens of thousands of participants, many calling for a boycott of Israeli products and sanctions against Israeli leaders.

British ministers, particularly within the ruling coalition, face mounting calls from opposition parties and activists to align U.K. policy with broader European initiatives aimed at restricting Israel’s military exports and imports.

The DSEI episode forms part of a broader diplomatic trend that has left Israel facing increasing criticism and conditionality from traditional European allies. While the United States has continued to supply military aid and support Israel diplomatically at the United Nations, European governments have grown more vocal in their opposition to the Gaza campaign, often framing their stance in humanitarian terms.

Yet, as the JNS report pointed out, such criticism tends to minimize or ignore the role of Hamas and other Iranian-backed groups in triggering and perpetuating the conflict. By focusing disproportionately on Israeli actions, critics argue, Europe undermines deterrence against jihadist groups that threaten not only Israel but the stability of the entire region.

In response to the DSEI withdrawal, Israeli defense firms may seek to redirect their focus to other international exhibitions, particularly in the United States and Asia. American defense expos, such as AUSA in Washington and Sea-Air-Space near Baltimore, provide alternative stages where Israeli companies enjoy strong political backing. Similarly, markets in India, South Korea, and Singapore have grown increasingly important for Israel’s defense exports.

Still, Israel’s absence from London represents a missed opportunity, particularly at a time when European militaries are themselves seeking new technologies to confront threats from Russia, Iran, and non-state actors. As the JNS report observed, Israel’s Iron Dome and drone defense systems could have offered valuable lessons to European buyers preparing for the next generation of warfare.

Israel’s decision to withdraw from DSEI UK 2025 highlights the degree to which politics has intruded into what has historically been a professional arena of defense cooperation. For Jerusalem, the British government’s restrictions represent not only an affront to fairness but also a dangerous precedent: that Israel, uniquely among democratic nations, can be sidelined from international forums because it defends itself against terrorism.

Israel’s withdrawal is more than a logistical choice. It is a statement—a refusal to legitimize conditions that single out the Jewish state, even at the cost of commercial exposure.

In the end, the dispute over a defense exhibition in London encapsulates a larger truth: Israel’s battle for legitimacy now extends beyond the battlefield and into every arena of international life, from courtrooms in Paris to pavilions in London. Whether its allies will stand with it—or yield to the pressures of political expediency—remains an open question.