PARIS/JERUSALEM: France shut down the four main Israeli company stands at the Paris Airshow for refusing to remove offensive weapons from display, in a move condemned by Israel and highlighting tensions between the traditional allies.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday that the instruction came from French authorities after Israeli firms failed to comply with a direction from a French security agency to remove offensive or kinetic weapons from the stands.
The stands were those being used by Elbit Systems, Rafael, IAI and Uvision. Three smaller Israeli stands, which didn’t have hardware on display, and an Israeli Ministry of Defense stand, remain open.
France, a long-time Israeli ally, has gradually hardened its position on the government of Benjamin Netanyahu over its actions in Gaza and military interventions abroad.
French President Emmanuel Macron made a distinction last week between Israel’s right to protect itself, which France supports and could take part in, and strikes on Iran it did not recommend.
Israel’s defense ministry said it had categorically rejected the order to remove some weapons systems from displays, and that exhibition organizers responded by erecting a black wall that separated the Israeli industry pavilions from others.
This action, it added, was carried out in the middle of the night after Israeli defense officials and companies had already finished setting up their displays.
“This outrageous and unprecedented decision reeks of policy-driven and commercial considerations,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The French are hiding behind supposedly political considerations to exclude Israeli offensive weapons from an international exhibition — weapons that compete with French industries.”
IAI’s president and CEO, Boaz Levy, said the black partition walls were reminiscent of “the dark days of when Jews were segmented from European society.”
Two US Republican politicians attending the air show also criticized the French move.
Talking to reporters outside the blacked-out Israeli defense stalls, US Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders described the decision as “pretty absurd,” while Republican Senator Katie Britt criticized it as “short-sighted.”
The French prime minister’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.
Meshar Sasson, senior vice president at Elbit Systems, accused France of trying to stymie competition, pointing to a series of contracts that Elbit has won in Europe.
“If you cannot beat them in technology, just hide them right? That’s what it is because there’s no other explanation,” he said.
Rafael described the French move as “unprecedented, unjustified, and politically motivated.”
The air show’s organizer said in a statement that it was in talks to try to help “the various parties find a favorable outcome to the situation.”
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Israel furious as France shuts four weapons stands at Paris Airshow
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Israel furious as France shuts four weapons stands at Paris Airshow
- The stands were those being used by Elbit Systems, Rafael, IAI and Uvision
- France, a long-time Israeli ally, has gradually hardened its position on the government of Benjamin Netanyahu over its actions in Gaza and military interventions abroad
South Korean lawmakers pass bill targeting false information despite warnings on censorship
SEOUL: South Korea’s liberal-led legislature on Wednesday passed a bill allowing heavy punitive damages against traditional news and Internet media for publishing “false or fabricated information,” brushing aside concerns the legislation could lead to greater censorship.
Journalist groups and civil liberty advocates urged President Lee Jae Myung to veto the bill pushed by his Democratic Party. They say the wording is vague about what information would be banned and lacks sufficient protections for the press, potentially discouraging critical reporting on public officials, politicians and big businesses.
The Democrats, who have failed to pass similar legislation under past governments, say the law is needed to counter a growing threat of fake news and disinformation that they argue undermine democracy by fueling divisions and hate speech.
The bill would allow courts to award punitive damages of up to five times the proven losses against news organizations and large YouTube channels that disseminate “illegal information or false, fabricated information” to cause harm or seek profit.
The bill also would allow damages of up to 50 million won ($34,200) for losses that are difficult to quantify in court. The country’s media regulator would be able to fine outlets up to 1 billion won ($684,000) for distributing information a court confirms to be false or manipulated more than twice.
The bill passed the National Assembly by a vote of 170-3 with four abstentions after many lawmakers from the main conservative opposition People Power Party boycotted the vote. The vote was delayed after a 24-hour filibuster by PPP, during which lawmakers from both parties debated the bill.
PPP lawmaker Choi Soo-jin said during the filibuster that the bill fails to define the degree of inaccuracy for information to be banned, warning it could be broadly applied to content containing minor errors or general claims and used as a tool to silence critics with the threat of lawsuits.
The Democrats argue punitive damages would apply only when there is clarity that false information has been deliberately spread for harmful or profit-seeking purposes and causes actual damage, while routine allegations or claims would not be penalized.
They note the law prohibits filing damage claims with the purpose of “obstructing just criticism or oversight conducted in the public interest,” although legal experts and journalist groups have criticized the provision as vague and unrealistic.
“What the law targets is not (legitimate) criticism but the malicious and deliberate dissemination of false information,” Democratic Party spokesperson Park Soo-hyun said. “(The bill) is based on the requirement of intent and also exempts satire and parody, clearly distinguishing (what should be respected as) freedom of expression.”
The National Union of Media Workers urged Lee’s government and the Democrats to address concerns that regulating false or manipulated information by law could infringe on freedom of expression and expose media companies to abusive lawsuits, chilling scrutiny of those in power.
“We urge (them) to clearly reaffirm that the law would target only a tiny portion (of content) that’s ‘false or fabricated information’ and to carefully review the bill to eliminate any potential infringement on freedom of the press and of expression,” the group said in a statement. “We call on them to carefully define the law’s scope when drafting (the law’s) enforcement ordinance.”
Journalist groups and civil liberty advocates urged President Lee Jae Myung to veto the bill pushed by his Democratic Party. They say the wording is vague about what information would be banned and lacks sufficient protections for the press, potentially discouraging critical reporting on public officials, politicians and big businesses.
The Democrats, who have failed to pass similar legislation under past governments, say the law is needed to counter a growing threat of fake news and disinformation that they argue undermine democracy by fueling divisions and hate speech.
The bill would allow courts to award punitive damages of up to five times the proven losses against news organizations and large YouTube channels that disseminate “illegal information or false, fabricated information” to cause harm or seek profit.
The bill also would allow damages of up to 50 million won ($34,200) for losses that are difficult to quantify in court. The country’s media regulator would be able to fine outlets up to 1 billion won ($684,000) for distributing information a court confirms to be false or manipulated more than twice.
The bill passed the National Assembly by a vote of 170-3 with four abstentions after many lawmakers from the main conservative opposition People Power Party boycotted the vote. The vote was delayed after a 24-hour filibuster by PPP, during which lawmakers from both parties debated the bill.
PPP lawmaker Choi Soo-jin said during the filibuster that the bill fails to define the degree of inaccuracy for information to be banned, warning it could be broadly applied to content containing minor errors or general claims and used as a tool to silence critics with the threat of lawsuits.
The Democrats argue punitive damages would apply only when there is clarity that false information has been deliberately spread for harmful or profit-seeking purposes and causes actual damage, while routine allegations or claims would not be penalized.
They note the law prohibits filing damage claims with the purpose of “obstructing just criticism or oversight conducted in the public interest,” although legal experts and journalist groups have criticized the provision as vague and unrealistic.
“What the law targets is not (legitimate) criticism but the malicious and deliberate dissemination of false information,” Democratic Party spokesperson Park Soo-hyun said. “(The bill) is based on the requirement of intent and also exempts satire and parody, clearly distinguishing (what should be respected as) freedom of expression.”
The National Union of Media Workers urged Lee’s government and the Democrats to address concerns that regulating false or manipulated information by law could infringe on freedom of expression and expose media companies to abusive lawsuits, chilling scrutiny of those in power.
“We urge (them) to clearly reaffirm that the law would target only a tiny portion (of content) that’s ‘false or fabricated information’ and to carefully review the bill to eliminate any potential infringement on freedom of the press and of expression,” the group said in a statement. “We call on them to carefully define the law’s scope when drafting (the law’s) enforcement ordinance.”
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