Against a backdrop of escalating diplomatic friction between Paris and Tel Aviv, newly released European Union data confirms that France retained its position as the largest supplier of military export licenses to Israel in 2024, even after Israel officially announced it would cut off future weapons procurement from the European nation.
The official EU statistics, published Wednesday, detail that France approved a total of €362 million (equivalent to $424 million) in arms export licenses for Israel last year. Germany ranked second on the list with $198 million in approved licenses, while Greece followed in third place with $133 million, per the dataset.
Reporting from EUobserver breaks down the composition of France’s 2024 export approvals: most licenses covered military components and defense software, but the shipment totals also include €122 million ($143 million) worth of ammunition and an additional €18 million ($21 million) for explosive ordnance, ranging from bombs and torpedoes to rockets and guided missiles.
This continued high volume of arms exports comes despite a sharp shift in Israel’s official procurement policy toward France. Back in March 2024, the Israeli government announced it would end future state security procurement from France, citing what it described as Paris’ “hostile” policy stance toward the country. Israeli public media incorrectly linked the decision to French support for a United Nations resolution calling for an arms embargo on Israel – a vote that France ultimately abstained from – as well as new restrictions on Israeli defense entities participating in French military trade shows.
According to reporting from The Jerusalem Post, the policy shift does not invalidate existing, previously signed contracts, and private sector firms from both sides remain permitted to finalize new commercial agreements.
Tensions around defense exhibition access boiled over in June 2025, when French event organizers initially barred five Israeli arms manufacturers that specialized in offensive weapons from entering the Paris Air Show. The exclusion prompted immediate pushback from Israeli officials, who levied accusations of antisemitism against French authorities. After extensive diplomatic negotiations, four of the five Israeli companies were ultimately allowed to set up exhibition booths at the event. By November of the same year, all Israeli arms manufacturers were granted full permission to participate in Milipol, France’s major internal security and defense trade show.
The unaligned dynamic – Paris continuing to approve hundreds of millions in arms exports even as Israel publicly cuts procurement ties – highlights the complex, often contradictory nature of EU-Israeli defense relations amid ongoing regional conflict and shifting diplomatic priorities across the bloc.