Chilean government bars Israeli participation in FIDAE air show

The Chilean government has announced on Tuesday that it will exclude Israeli defence companies from an upcoming aerospace fair in April.

A statement from the Chilean Ministry of Defence released says: "By decision of the government of Chile, the 2024 version of the International Air and Space Fair (FIDAE), to be held between 9 and 14 April, will not have the participation of Israeli companies".

The statement adds that FIDAE is organised by the Chilean air force and has participant companies from over 40 countries, although it does not elaborate on why the government barred Israeli companies from the fair.

Chile has previously been critical of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed at least 30,717 Palestinians, with a further 72,156 injured.

In October, Chile recalled its ambassador to Israel citing Tel Aviv's violation of international humanitarian law. The ambassador has not yet returned to Israel since being recalled.

In January, Chile and Mexico referred Israel to the International Criminal Court (ICC), with a statement from Mexico stating that both countries were worried over a growing escalation of violence, especially against civilians.

Chile also supported South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and delivered testimony against Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories during ICJ hearings on the issue in February.

Israel's war on Gaza has also garnered criticism from other Latin American countries, most notably Brazil, which saw a tit-for-tat row after comments from President Lula that compared Israel's military campaign to the Holocaust.

FIDAE has been held every two years in Santiago, Chile, since 1980, and is the largest aerospace fair in Latin America, exhibiting numerous sectors of the aviation industry including commercial, defence, and space sectors.

Over 400 companies from over 40 countries are expected to participate in the upcoming fair.