Orange CEO Stephane Richard is heading to Israel as he is involved in damage control following his call to divest from Israel. Stephane was addressing an Egyptian audience, telling the media in Cairo would love to leave Israel tomorrow, but he realizes doing so would result in significant risk and penalties. Orange is one of Israel’s major cellular telephone companies that today also provides internet service.

Shouts of protest were directed at France from Jerusalem following Richard’s statements, which some officials call “anti-Semitic”. When the news broke of the company’s CEO statements, many Orange subscribers in Israel reportedly canceled and moved to another provider.

Trying to explain away his statements, Richard explains he was misunderstood and he is heading to Israel for damage control, telling the media Orange will never “quit the country”.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is not easily convinced and Israel’s Ambassador to France has been told not to accept a request by Richard for a meeting. In his address to the Jerusalem Post Conference on Sunday, the prime minister referred to the Orange incident as part of the international effort to boycott and delegitimize Israel.

Netanyahu also spoke to French President Francois Hollande who expressed his opposition to boycotts, standing at Israel’s side.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)