How Is France Facilitating Military Aid to Tel Aviv?
Guest commentary by Amirhossein Moghimi: The official website of the French Senate published a document containing a written question to the government about the possibility of France supplying weapons or military equipment to Israel.
The inquiry noted reports of military movements and shipments headed for Israel and called on the government to clarify whether such actions align with France’s foreign policy and human rights commitments.
In response, the French government emphasized:
“No direct operations involving sending military parts or equipment to Israel have taken place. France acts within international regulations and respects legitimate defense requirements.”
The government further explained that France’s military cooperation with other countries, including Israel, involves intelligence sharing, counterterrorism efforts, and regional security issues-yet no new arms transfers from Paris to Tel Aviv are currently underway.
this response comes amid growing public concern and demands by some left-wing parliamentarians in France over recent months for a full halt to any military cooperation with israel due to the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Despite Paris officially denying any “direct weapon shipments” to Israel,bilateral military and security relations have not only continued but have strengthened through indirect channels and contractual agreements in recent years.
As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a key NATO actor, France cannot adopt an entirely independent stance from Washington regarding Middle East crises.
From the perspective of French diplomacy, Israeli security is part of maintaining ”Western order” in the region.
Therefore, even if Paris appears more balanced toward Palestine at face value, it indirectly supports all actions that bolster Israel’s position against resistance groups.
This rationale has led France-alongside the united States and Britain-to continue intelligence sharing and logistical cooperation with Tel Aviv on gaza-related matters.
Additionally, France ranks among the world’s largest arms exporters. companies like Dassault Aviation, Thales, and MBDA hold long-term contracts with Israeli partners-not only selling weapons but also collaborating on technology sharing and joint production of military components.
Consequently, even if official statements deny “arms transfers,” many forms of cooperation occur through private industrial contracts or trilateral arrangements involving America.
On an international level, France aims to portray itself as a peace broker advocating balance in Middle East affairs; however its operational policies remain closely aligned with Western allies’ positions.
This contradiction has caused Paris’ image domestically-and across Arab countries-to appear inconsistent or sometimes hypocritical.
Emanuel Macron’s recent remarks about “the possibility of peace between Israel and Gaza” fit precisely within this framework: an effort to mask ongoing security cooperation with tel Aviv under rhetoric promoting peace discourse.
