Israel will not participate at the upcoming DSEI 2025 defense exhibition in London, scheduled for September 9–12, after the British government imposed restrictions on official Israeli participation.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense announced on Friday that its representatives and military officials were banned from attending the event and prohibited from displaying the ministry’s name or affiliated entities at the pavilion. The statement accused London of introducing “political considerations wholly inappropriate for a professional defense industry exhibition.”
Defense sources confirmed the restrictions and said they follow discussions about Israel’s use of “offensive weapons” in Gaza, where European governments have condemned the catastrophic humanitarian situation resulting from Israel’s continued assault on the civilian population.
Although official representatives are excluded, Israeli defense companies remain permitted to exhibit. Executives told Defense News they had been approached only regarding weapons used in Gaza, but no official comment was made by exhibition organizers.This is the third recent case of European restrictions on Israel at major defense shows. Israeli firms were barred from the Dutch NEDS exhibition scheduled for November, and at the Paris Air Show in June, Israeli pavilions were surrounded by black walls after organizers objected to displays of weaponry tied to operations in Gaza.
European governments have voiced growing alarm over Israel’s conduct in Gaza, where tens of thousands of civilians have been killed under relentless bombardment and siege. Earlier this month, the EU and the UK jointly described the humanitarian situation as “catastrophic” and called on Israel to allow unrestricted humanitarian aid into Gaza.
