Police watched as around 300 protesters waved Palestinian flags and held up placards including one reading "UK: Stop arming Israel. Stop the Gaza Genocide."

Three protesters were arrested for assaults on police officers, London's Metropolitan Police said.

The British government excluded the officials from the four-day event, but 51 Israeli defence companies were set to attend, including major arms manufacturer Elbit.

Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries, both government-owned, were also scheduled to have stands, making Israel the fifth-largest national contingent at the fair at the Excel London exhibition centre.

The Israeli companies "should be investigated for crimes against humanity, not invited to profit from the unspeakable devastation they have caused in Gaza", Campaign Against Arms Trade spokesperson Emily Apple said in a statement.

Neither company was immediately available for comment when contacted by AFP.

Protester Omer Raz, 40, an Israeli postgraduate student living in London, carried a banner reading "Israelis Against Genocide".

He described the Israeli army's actions in Gaza, where it says it is fighting to crush the Palestinian militant group Hamas, as "unacceptable".

"We believe it's genocide. Lots of Israelis do oppose it but not strongly enough," he said.

Another protester, who gave her name only as Rose, a 22-year-old French student, said the world had been "witnessing genocide for two years".

"Our countries are still complicit and supplying weapons to Israel," she said.

Britain's defence ministry announced at the end of August that no Israeli government delegation had been invited to the fair, citing Israel's "decision to further escalate its military operation in Gaza".

Israel labelled the exclusion of its officials from the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) fair as "discrimination".

At the same time, Israeli President Isaac Herzog was due in London on Tuesday for a three-day official visit.

- 'Offensive weapons' -

The arms fair "includes unrivalled access to international governments, ministries of defence... alongside all UK front line commands", according to the DSEI UK website.

A record number of exhibitors and visitors are expected at the event, as global conflicts including the Russia-Ukraine war have prompted European and other governments to ramp up military spending.

France, which is also represented at the show, had in June blocked access to the stands of several Israeli arms manufacturers at the Paris Air show for displaying what it termed "offensive weapons".

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said Britain will formally recognise a Palestinian state later this month if Israel does not take steps, including agreeing to a ceasefire in the Gaza war, which was sparked by the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023.

London has suspended trade talks with Israel over the conflict, as well as some export licences for arms used in Gaza, but some UK-made parts, such as components for Israeli F-35 jets, are still exported.

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Elbit Systems