From: The Times of Israel February 17, 2025
Israeli companies display weapons at UAE defense fair

Israeli arms manufacturers are showcasing their weapons and other products at a defense fair in the United Arab Emirates, during a fragile ceasefire in a
15-month war between Israel and the terror group Hamas.

An Israeli pavilion stands among industry giants at the International Defense Exhibition (IDEX) and the Naval Defense and Maritime Security Exhibition (NAVDEX) held in the Gulf country’s capital Abu Dhabi until Friday.

“We are very pleased to be here,” says Boaz Levy, the president and CEO of IAI ranked among the 100 largest arms companies in the world in 2023 according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)

According to SIPRI the three Israeli manufacturers in the ranking, prominently featured at the Abu Dhabi show, recorded a record turnover of $13.6 billion in 2023 driven by Israel’s offensive on Gaza.

But for Levy, this has not stopped them from collaborating with allies in the region.

“Of course, some of our products are there (in Gaza) but we are a company that deals with technology and giving the end user the capabilities… required in the field, and that’s what we are doing on a day-to-day basis,”

The UAE normalized ties with Israel in 2020 under the Abraham Accords, brokered by the United States, during the first Donald Trump administration.

Since then, Israeli arm manufacturer EMTAN has attended every defense fair in Abu Dhabi.

sales manager Ron Pollak, whose firm makes small arms, rifles, pistols and sub-machine guns, says:
“We work a lot with the Abraham” countries,
“We really, really enjoy the hospitality and the friendship that we encounter here in the UAE.”

Last year, as civilian casualties mounted in Gaza, the French government banned Israeli companies from setting up stands or exhibiting hardware at the Euronaval defense trade fair. The decision was later thrown out by a Paris court.