French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced Wednesday that an investigation had been launched following a report in the newspaper L'Humanité about shipments of military equipment from France to Israel, adding that "precautionary measures have been taken pending the findings." Responding to a question from a lawmaker, Barrot reiterated the French government's official position: "We do not sell weapons to Israel."
Against the backdrop of Israel's fighting on multiple fronts, French President Emmanuel Macron called for an arms embargo on Israel in October 2024. France subsequently began drastically reducing export licenses for defense-related components. In March of this year, it was reported that Israel's Defense Ministry had decided to halt defense purchases from France and seek alternatives from suppliers in other European countries and elsewhere around the world.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot
(Photo: Anwar Amro/AFP)
Earlier this month, the French newspaper L'Humanité published a report by the organizations Urgence Palestine and the Palestinian Youth Movement alleging that 525 shipments were sent from France to Israel between October 2023 and March 2026, along with another 35 shipments to Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems.
French lawmaker Thomas Portes of the left-wing France Unbowed party accused the French government during a debate in the National Assembly on Wednesday of failing to act over the war in Gaza. He claimed that France continued to supply Israel with military equipment and components without imposing a comprehensive arms embargo. Portes cited the French newspaper's report, which alleged that French companies had helped Israel arm itself.
Responding to the lawmaker's accusations, Barrot said: "We do not sell weapons to Israel."
He added: "After learning from the newspaper's reports that certain weapons may have been sold to Israel, we immediately launched an investigation."
Later in the debate, Barrot declared that "no country in the world supports the Palestinian people as much as France."
Unions representing workers at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, including CGT, Sud Aérien and Solidaires 93, claimed last week that they had succeeded in delaying a shipment of military equipment destined for Elbit Systems. The newspaper also reported that the shipment was immediately rescheduled.
French Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin told a committee overseeing arms exports in late September that France does not sell weapons to Israel.
According to the French newspaper, the official denials contradict the findings of the report. The newspaper also pointed to weaknesses in export oversight and the shipment of dual-use components that can serve both civilian and military purposes.
L'Humanité further noted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plane had flown through French airspace despite an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, and that trade agreements with Israel remain in effect.