Jerusalem - French telecoms giant Orange said Thursday it wanted to withdraw its brand from Israel, spurring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to demand that Paris distance itself from the company's "miserable" decision.
Orange's statement came just hours after its chief executive was accused of giving in to a pro-Palestinian campaign.
Orange, which is partly controlled by the French government, insisted that its decision to end its brand-licensing agreement with Partner, Israel's second largest mobile operator, was not politically motivated.
But Israel lashed out at the decision, which appeared to be related to Partner's operations in the occupied West Bank.
Citing its own "brand development strategy", Orange said it did not wish to maintain a brand presence in countries "in which is it not an operator", while distancing itself from the politics.
"In this context, and while strictly adhering to existing agreements, the Group ultimately wishes to end this brand licence agreement," it said.
The storm erupted on Wednesday when Orange chief executive Stephane Richard told reporters in Cairo that the company was planning to withdraw from Israel.
His remarks touched a raw nerve in Israel, which is growing increasingly concerned about global boycott efforts and the impact on its image abroad.
"I call on the French government to publicly renounce the miserable remarks and the miserable action of a company that is under its partial ownership," Netanyahu said after Orange's announcement on Thursday.
"I call on our friends to unconditionally declare -- in a loud and clear voice -- that they oppose any kind of boycott of the state of the Jews," he added.
President Reuven Rivlin said that "boycott" and "delegitimation" efforts against Israel existed even before the state's creation and the motivation was "no different" from today.
Isaac Benbenisti, who becomes chairman of Partner on July 1, said he was "very, very angry", accusing Richard of caving in to "very significant pressure" from pro-Palestinian activists and joining a global campaign to isolate Israel.
The US-based Simon Wiesenthal Center said that because France owns a 25-percent stake in Orange, the French government should get involved.
"We are calling on President Hollande to intervene in this shocking betrayal of the world's only democracy in the Middle East," Wiesenthal officials said in a statement.
The United States, a staunch ally of Israel, appeared reluctant to engage on the matter, with a State Department spokeswoman saying: "in general ... our position on boycotts hasn't changed." In other words, Washington is opposed.
AFP
