France's foreign ministry has started a check on shipments of military equipment to Israel after a French newspaper published data on them. Foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced the check on Wednesday. Precautions are in place until the results are known.
Barrot spoke in the National Assembly, answering a question from a lawmaker. He said the check began as soon as the data on a possible sale of arms to Israel became public. Paris keeps to its official position. "We do not sell arms to Israel," Barrot said.
The question came from Thomas Portes, a lawmaker from the left-wing France Unbowed party. During the debate he accused the government of doing nothing over the war in Gaza. He said France still supplies Israel with military equipment and parts, and has not imposed a full arms embargo. Portes cited a report the newspaper published earlier this month.
The report was written by the groups Urgence Palestine and the Palestinian Youth Movement. It says 525 shipments left France for Israel between October 2023 and March 2026. Another 35 shipments were for the Israeli defence company Elbit Systems. The groups say French companies have helped Israel arm itself.
The newspaper says official denials contradict the data in the report. It points to weak spots in export controls and in the supply of dual-use parts, which serve both civilian and military purposes.
Last week, the unions General Confederation of Labour (CGT), Sud Aérien and Solidaires 93 said at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport that they had held up a shipment of military equipment for Elbit Systems. According to the newspaper, the shipment was rescheduled straight away.
In October 2024, president Emmanuel Macron called for an embargo on arms for Israel. France then sharply cut export licences for defence-related parts. Reports said that in March this year Israel's defence ministry decided to stop buying from France and look for suppliers in other European countries and around the world.
At the end of September, defence minister Catherine Vautrin also told the arms export control committee that France does not sell arms to Israel. On Wednesday Barrot added: "No country in the world supports the Palestinian people as much as France."
The newspaper also notes that the plane of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew through French airspace, even though the International Criminal Court in The Hague has issued a warrant for his arrest. France's trade agreements with Israel remain in force. Israel is fighting on several fronts.