A shipment of military components bound for Israel has become the target of a coordinated boycott at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, with cargo workers refusing to load it onto an El Al aircraft and three French organizations seeking an emergency court order to stop its export.

Israeli security officials have intervened to try to resolve the dispute and secure the cargo’s transfer. The shipment, intended for Elbit Systems Land, was scheduled to leave Paris on Saturday evening. The refusal followed a decision by a workers’ committee at a cargo-handling company operating at the airport.

The confrontation followed an earlier, disputed attempt to transport the same consignment through Air France. French unions and pro-Palestinian activists claim their intervention prevented it from departing on Thursday, after which the shipment was rebooked onto El Al. Urgence Palestine says it holds documents supporting the original booking and the subsequent arrangements.

Air France denies that account. The airline says it had no reservation for the goods on the indicated date or any other date, and that it does not transport weapons or ammunition to Israel. France’s Foreign Ministry repeated the airline’s denial at its latest relevant press briefing.

According to the organizations challenging the shipment, the cargo consists of planetary gearboxes, mechanical components intended for military vehicles, manufactured by Mijno Precision Gearing in Saint-Etienne. They identify the recipient as Elbit’s land-systems division, rather than an Israeli military unit receiving finished weapons directly.

The campaign has now moved into the courts. NIDAL, ASER and JURDI say they filed an emergency application with the Paris Administrative Court, asking authorities to examine the goods’ classification, determine whether an export license was issued and identify the intended end user. They want customs to hold the shipment during that examination and have pledged to appeal if their request is rejected.

The French government, meanwhile, maintains that its military export controls are strict. Its Foreign Ministry says licenses for Israel are permitted only for exclusively defensive purposes or for components incorporated into equipment subsequently exported to third countries. It says those transfers are subject to oversight and safeguards concerning their intended use. Those are France’s stated rules, not confirmation of this particular shipment’s authorization or destination after assembly.

The dispute follows repeated confrontations over Israeli defense companies’ access to French industry events. At this year’s Eurosatory exhibition, 14 Israeli firms were prevented from presenting their systems on opening day. Israel’s Defense Ministry said booths were boarded up despite the companies complying with restrictions requiring defensive displays. Elbit was among the companies whose exhibits remained accessible.

This time, the pressure targets the movement of components into Israel, not simply access to an exhibition. The immediate outcome remains unclear: the available reports do not confirm whether the El Al shipment ultimately departed or whether the court issued an order.