The British government has barred an official Israeli delegation from attending the four-day DSEI UK 2025 security fair in London, citing Israel’s escalation of military operations in Gaza. Private Israeli defense firms will still be allowed to participate.

The Defense and Security Equipment International, set to open Sept. 9, is a biennial trade exhibition in London. Organized by a private company with backing from the British government, the fair features pavilions from major defense firms and national pavilions from leading defense and security industries. Israeli companies such as Elbit Systems, Rafael, Israel Aerospace Industries and Uvision traditionally participate, and the Israeli Defense Ministry sends an official delegation to set up a national stand.

The Defense Ministry condemned the ban as a “deliberate and regrettable act of discrimination,” saying it “serves extremists” and “grants legitimacy to terror.” The ministry said that it would still support Israeli companies participating privately. Former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, head of the opposition Blue and White Party, called the decision “regrettable and misguided,” saying it “sends a clear message around the world and in Gaza in particular: Terror pays off.”

The ban comes amid growing tensions between the two governments over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and rising settler violence in the West Bank. Until recently, Israel had regarded Britain as a close strategic ally after the United States and Germany.