عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

France Bans Israeli Firms From Exhibiting at Naval Arms Show in Growing Dispute

French President Emmanuel Macron, left, shakes hands with Israel's President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. Emmanuel Macron is traveling to Israel to show France's solidarity with the country and further work on the release of hostages who are being held in Gaza. - Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, shakes hands with Israel's President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. Emmanuel Macron is traveling to Israel to show France's solidarity with the country and further work on the release of hostages who are being held in Gaza. - Reuters
TT
TT

France Bans Israeli Firms From Exhibiting at Naval Arms Show in Growing Dispute

French President Emmanuel Macron, left, shakes hands with Israel's President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. Emmanuel Macron is traveling to Israel to show France's solidarity with the country and further work on the release of hostages who are being held in Gaza. - Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, shakes hands with Israel's President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. Emmanuel Macron is traveling to Israel to show France's solidarity with the country and further work on the release of hostages who are being held in Gaza. - Reuters

France has banned Israeli firms from exhibiting in a naval arms trade show next month, the organizers said on Wednesday, the latest incident in a row fueled by the Macron government's unease over Israel's conduct in the wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
The ban came after French efforts to secure a truce in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon foundered and as Israel carries out more airstrikes on targets in the country.
It is the second time this year that France has banned Israel firms from a major defense show, according to Reuters.
In May, France said the conditions were not right for them to take part in the Eurosatory military trade show when President Emmanuel Macron was calling for Israel to cease operations in the Palestinian territory of Gaza.
Euronaval, organizer of the event set to take place in Paris from Nov. 4-7, said in a statement that the French government had informed it that Israeli delegations were not allowed to exhibit stands or show equipment, but could attend the trade show.
The decision affected seven firms, it said.

For his part, Israel's defense minister on Wednesday called the decision "a disgrace".
"We will continue defending our nation against enemies on 7 different fronts, and fighting for our future - with or without France," Yoav Gallant posted on X. 
Israeli forces have carried out numerous airstrikes and a ground incursion targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, causing substantial civilian casualties and leading Western allies, including France, to call for an immediate ceasefire.
Diplomatic sparring between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Emmanuel Macron has increased in recent weeks after Paris had worked with Washington to secure a 21-day truce that would then open the door to negotiations on a long-term diplomatic solution.
Believing Israel had agreed the terms, France and the United States were caught by surprise when the next day Israel launched strikes that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Netanyahu has rejected a unilateral ceasefire that fails to stop Hezbollah rearming and regrouping.
Macron has irked Netanyahu several times in recent weeks, notably as United Nations' peacekeeping forces have been caught in Israeli crossfire in southern Lebanon.
He has called for an end to the supply to Israel of offensive weapons used in Gaza, where thousands of Palestinian civilians have been killed and a humanitarian crisis has unfolded in a year of warfare against Hamas militants.
On Tuesday, Macron told a cabinet meeting that Netanyahu should not forget that his country was created by a UN decision, according to a French official.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot sought to downplay the comments, saying they had been general remarks reminding Israel of the importance of respecting the UN charter.
But Netanyahu's office said in response that Israel was established through "the War of Independence with the blood of our heroic fighters, many of whom were Holocaust survivors, including from the Vichy regime in France" - referring to the French government that had collaborated with Nazi Germany.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Rubio Vows to Place US Interests ‘Above All Else’ as Trump’s Top Diplomat

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be Secretary of State, appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP)
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be Secretary of State, appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP)
TT
TT

Rubio Vows to Place US Interests ‘Above All Else’ as Trump’s Top Diplomat

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be Secretary of State, appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP)
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be Secretary of State, appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP)

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio promised on Wednesday to implement President-elect Donald Trump’s "America First" vision as secretary of state, vowing in his confirmation hearing that the incoming administration will forge a new path by placing American interests "above all else."

"Placing our core national interests above all else is not isolationism," Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "It is the commonsense realization that a foreign policy centered on our national interest is not some outdated relic."

"The postwar global order is not just obsolete; it is now a weapon being used against us," Rubio said.

It's a remarkable opening salvo from Rubio, who was born in Miami to Cuban immigrants and who, if confirmed, would become the first Latino to serve as the nation’s top diplomat.

The confirmation hearing begins a new chapter in the political career of the 53-year-old Florida Republican, whose relationship with Trump has evolved over the last decade. Once rivals trading schoolyard insults as they campaigned for president in 2016, the two men became close allies as Trump campaigned for another White House term last year.

Rubio first came to Washington as part of the "tea party" wave in 2010 and once advocated for allowing a path to citizenship for immigrants in the country illegally. But like other Republicans, Rubio's views on immigration have shifted toward the hard-line stance of Trump, who has pledged to aggressively pursue deportations once he takes office on Monday.

Unlike many of Trump's Cabinet selections, Rubio is expected to easily win confirmation, notching support not only from Republicans but also Democrats who endorse him as a "responsible" pick to represent the US abroad. Many expect he will be among the first of Trump's Cabinet picks approved.

Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz, who served alongside Rubio on the Foreign Relations Committee, said he has high hopes that the Florida Republican will reject the isolationist approach of other Trump allies.

"I think Marco is a hawk, but he’s also an internationalist, and I think the challenge for him will be to maintain the long bipartisan tradition of America being indispensable in world affairs," the Hawaii lawmaker told The Associated Press. "And there are people in the Trump world who want us to run away from being the leaders of the free world. And I’m hoping that Marco’s instincts towards American strength will win the day."

Rubio's approach to foreign affairs is grounded in his years of service on the Foreign Relations committee and the Senate Intelligence panel. In his speeches and writings, he's delivered increasingly stern warnings about growing military and economic threats to the United States, particularly from China, which he says has benefited from a "global world order" that he characterizes as obsolete.

China, Rubio told the committee, has "lied, cheated, hacked, and stolen their way to global superpower status, at our expense."

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday declined to comment on Rubio's remarks.

If confirmed, Rubio will become the leader of US foreign policy — though his role will surely remain secondary to Trump, who relishes the global stage and frequently uses the bully pulpit against America's allies.

Even before taking office, Trump has stirred angst in foreign capitals by threatening to seize the Panama Canal and Greenland and suggesting he will pressure Canada to become the nation’s 51st state.

By winning another term, Trump has won an "unmistakable mandate from the voters," Rubio will say.

"They want a strong America. Engaged in the world. But guided by a clear objective, to promote peace abroad, and security and prosperity here at home."

A Biden administration decision to rescind Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism with just days left in office is likely to irk Rubio, who has long supported tough sanctions on the communist-run island.

Rubio’s office did not respond to multiple queries Tuesday about the senator’s reaction to the move, which many believe will almost certainly be reversed by the Trump administration.

Secretaries of state have played a key role in formulating the foreign policy of the country since its founding, starting with the first one, Thomas Jefferson, who served in the top Cabinet position under President George Washington.

Since then, Jefferson, as well as his 19th century successors James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren and James Buchanan, have all gone on to be elected president.

More recent secretaries of state have been less successful in their political ambitions, including John Kerry, who lost the 2004 presidential election to President George W. Bush before becoming the top diplomat, and Hillary Clinton, who lost the 2016 election to Trump.

The most successful secretaries of state have been known for their closeness to the presidents whom they serve, notably James Baker under George H.W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice under George W. Bush and, to some extent, Clinton under Barack Obama.

Like Clinton, Rubio was once a political rival to the president-elect who nominated them. However, the Clinton-Obama relationship during the 2008 Democratic primaries was not nearly as hostile as that between Trump and Rubio in the 2016 GOP primaries, which was marked by name-calling and personal insults.

Trump had an acrimonious relationship with his first secretary of state, Rex Tillerson. Trump fired him from the position via a social media post less than two years into his term.