Speaking to FRANCE 24, Nir Barkat, Israel's economy minister called France's decision to ban Israeli offensive weapons from the Eurosatory defence fair "shameful", warning that Israel would "bypass France" to reach its customers. He argued Israel had "no choice but to eliminate" Iran's capabilities, and said he preferred "to be alive and deal with my image" rather than worry about Israel's battered reputation abroad.
Speaking to FRANCE 24, Nir Barkat, Israel's economy minister, former mayor of Jerusalem and a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, described France's decision to ban Israeli offensive weapons from the Eurosatory defence fair as "shameful".
Barkat warned that Israeli companies would "bypass France and get to our customers", arguing that the move was damaging relations between the two countries.
'No choice but to eliminate' Tehran's capabilities
On Iran, Barkat said Israel had "no choice but to eliminate" Tehran's capabilities, including what he described as its nuclear ambitions, ballistic missile programme and network of proxy forces across the region. He acknowledged that the task was "not over", adding that it would be up to Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump to decide whether the next phase would come through diplomacy or "another round of war".
On Lebanon, Barkat said Israel would continue to act against threats emanating from the country, warning that Hezbollah was "playing with fire".
Asked about Israel's image abroad, Barkat was blunt: "I prefer to be alive and deal with my image than be dead with a good image."
Despite the ongoing conflicts, he argued that Israel's economy remained resilient, pointing to projected GDP growth of 5 percent and a stock market that he said was delivering "the highest return relative to any other stock exchange in the world".
