DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Amid the bustle and footfall of thousands of visitors and exhibitors at the 2023 Dubai Airshow, one pavilion is notably empty: that of Israel. Two years later, and one month into Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the scene is unrecognizable. On the show's first day, the IAI pavilion was surrounded by a red cordon, which was removed by the second day. IAI and Elbit Systems did not reply to an emailed CNBC request for comment. CNBC contacted two representatives of Israeli defense firms that attended the airshow in 2021; they said they did not attend this year's show because they had been drafted into the country's military.

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Persons: Abraham, Emiratis, Rafael, SIBAT Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Abraham Accords, United Arab, Hamas, Israel Aerospace Industries, Elbit Systems, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd, IAI, CNBC, Israel's International Defense Cooperation Directorate, Defense Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, Dubai, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Gulf, Gaza