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The Israeli government has condemned a decision by the United Kingdom to bar its officials from attending a major defense expo in London.

Getting into it: In a statement, the Israeli Ministry of Defense condemned the United Kingdom’s decision to bar its officials from attending the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) 2025 exhibition, calling the move “a deliberate and regrettable act of discrimination against Israel’s representatives.” The Ministry accused the UK of politicizing a professional defense forum, stating, “This decision by Britain plays into the hands of extremists, grants legitimacy to terrorism, and introduces political considerations wholly inappropriate for a professional defense industry exhibition.”

As a result, Israel confirmed it would withdraw its official delegation and cancel its national pavilion at the event, marking a significant shift from its historically prominent presence at DSEI.

This follows an earlier announcement by the UK government that Israeli officials would not be invited to DSEI due to the country’s ongoing military actions in Gaza.

Despite the diplomatic ban, the UK has not restricted participation by private Israeli defense firms. A UK MoD spokesman noted, “Israeli industry, including UK subsidiaries of Israeli companies, will be able to attend.”