DUBAI, Sep 11: Israeli defense companies have been barred from participating in one of the world’s largest aerospace exhibitions in the United Arab Emirates, as Gulf anger grows over Israel’s ongoing Gaza offensive and this week’s unprecedented airstrike on Qatar.
Organizers of the Dubai Air Show, scheduled for November, notified several Israeli firms in an official letter stating they would not be admitted this year, according to a senior official familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity. The letter, dated September 9 — the same day Israel struck Doha in an attack targeting Hamas political leaders that killed several people — cited “professional shortcomings” as the reason for excluding the firms. However, the official noted that organizers had already indicated informally that they planned to bar Israel from the event. Israeli media first reported the decision.
The Doha strike sparked outrage in Qatar, which had been mediating truce efforts in Gaza, and angered Gulf leaders more broadly. The move even drew rare criticism from Washington, despite the Trump administration’s usually close alignment with Israel’s hardline position.
Dubai’s government media office did not respond to requests for comment. Israel’s Defense Ministry confirmed it had received notification from the Air Show’s organizers but withheld details. Israel Aerospace Industries referred inquiries back to the ministry, while Elbit Systems, another major Israeli defense firm, declined comment. Two additional Israeli companies did not issue a response.
The decision follows a pattern of mounting restrictions on Israeli participation in international arms fairs. The UK barred Israeli officials from its premier defense expo earlier this week, while in June, French officials blocked several Israeli firms at the Paris Air Show, saying weapons linked to Gaza could not be promoted on French soil.
Israeli companies were still permitted to attend the International Defense Exhibition in Abu Dhabi last February and participated in the last Dubai Air Show in 2023, which took place in the early weeks of the Gaza conflict. However, five years after normalizing ties through the Abraham Accords, Emirati-Israeli relations have come under increasing strain, eroded by Israel’s prolonged 23‑month Gaza campaign and widening proxy clashes with Iran
