Israel is ending all defense procurement from France, the Israeli Defense Ministry said, citing Paris’ hostile posture toward Jerusalem and a desire to increase domestic production and purchases from allies. 

“Israel will reduce all defense procurement from France to zero, replacing it with domestic Israeli procurement or purchases from allied countries,” Israel’s Ministry of Defense told Politico on Tuesday. 

Maj. Gen. Air Baram, the director general of the ministry, said on Israel’s Channel 12 that the move is part of a larger effort to decrease military dependence on and partnerships with nations that have strained diplomatic relations with Israel. 

The ministry also canceled meetings with France’s minister of the armed forces, instead insisting that “there will be no new professional engagement with the French military.” 

The move is the latest rift in the bilateral relationship that has sharply deteriorated following the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks. During the Israel-Hamas war, France took a critical stance toward Jerusalem’s military conduct in the Gaza Strip and worked to pressure Israel to halt operations. 

In September of last year, French President Emmanuel Macron became one of the first major U.S. allies to recognize Palestinian statehood. In that same month, Macron had said that Israel’s operations in Gaza were “making so many civilian casualties and victims that [Jerusalem is] completely destroying the credibility and image of Israel not only in the region but in public opinion everywhere.” 

President Donald Trump has also expressed frustration with France for its actions amid the war in Iran, including prohibiting planes with military supplies destined for Israel from flying over its territory. He wrote on Truth Social that Paris has been “VERY UNHELPFUL” and that “The U.S.A. will REMEMBER!!!” — a post that surprised French officials. 

Paris has also moved to limit Israeli participation in defense forums, barring dozens of Israeli companies from the Eurosatory 2024 exhibition, restricting their presence at the 2025 Paris Air Show and suspending export licenses.

Experts told Jewish Insider that the latest announcement is likely political posturing and will not have any practical impact on Israel given that defense ties between the two countries have already been on the decline. 

“Israeli procurement from France was apparently quite limited and since the Israeli Ministry of Defense initiated the cut-off, they made the calculation that they could replace the items they obtain from France,” said Michael Eisenstadt, a fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “I suspect there will be no practical consequence for Israeli manufacturers.”

A parliamentary report published in late 2025 found that France approved more than 200 dual-use export licenses to Israel in 2024 totaling €76.5 million — a roughly 60% drop from the previous year.

Eisenstadt noted that the latest action from Israel will not impact “collaboration between private companies or entities.” Existing agreements are expected to be upheld, and private firms can continue pursuing deals.

“Israel has lost patience with French criticism and unreliability,” Edmund Fitton-Brown, a former British diplomat and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told JI. “The fact is that Israel has historic reasons not to trust France, and now no longer needs France.”

Fitton-Brown said that moving forward Israel may increasingly “rely on the U.S. to represent its 

interests in international affairs.” He similarly said that it will likely not have much impact on Israel. 

“Israel is increasingly all-in with the U.S. as a defense partner, which makes diversifying defense supply an irrelevance,” Fitton-Brown said. “France has been the most disappointing of Israel’s European friends, adopting neutral or even hostile positions on a range of issues: recognition of a Palestinian state, a failure to back Israel fully against Hezbollah in Lebanon, ambivalence and obstruction regarding the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran.”