Khaberni - Organizers of the Dubai Airshow announced today, Tuesday, the exclusion of Israeli companies from participating in the upcoming edition of the exhibition, following a "technical review", in a step that comes two years after the outbreak of the war on the Gaza Strip.
The executive director of Informa Markets, the organizing company, Tim Hawes, said on the sidelines of a press conference that the Israeli companies "will not be present", confirming the withdrawal of registration for 6 of them, which were supposed to participate in the exhibition.
He added, "A technical review was conducted including the companies participating in the exhibition" then the decision came from the technical committee, in line with the exhibition's regulations, without Hawes explaining the reasons for the decision.
The next edition of the exhibition, which is among the largest in the world, is scheduled to be held in November/November next.
The first Israeli participation in the previous edition of the exhibition was held in 2023, coinciding with the outbreak of the war in Gaza, and during which the Israeli defense companies' booths appeared empty of staff and visitors in the early days of the exhibition.
The UAE is one of the few Arab countries that have relations with Israel, having normalized diplomatic relations with the Hebrew state under the "Abraham Accords" in 2020, yet Israel's image has significantly deteriorated among the Arab public opinion after the Gaza war.
