French Orange CEO apologises to Israel over boycott remark

CEO of French telecom giant Orange, Stephane Richard, apologised Friday to Israel's Deputy Prime Minister, Silvan Shalom, for his intention to end ties with Israel over its policy in the occupied Palestinian territories, Shalom said in a statement.

"Richard apologised for the remarks he made during a conference in Egypt and told me that he is a friend of Israel," Shalom wrote on his Facebook page.

On Wednesday, Richard told a news conference in Cairo that his group intend to cut ties with its Israeli operator Partner, amidst criticism over its activities in the Jewish settlements in the Palestinian West Bank.

"I am ready to abandon this tomorrow morning but the point is that I want to secure the legal risk for the company," said Richard. "I want to terminate this, once again, but I don't want to expose Orange to a level of risk and of penalties that could be really sizable for the company," he added.

The statement prompted an outraged Israeli response.

Shalom said he spoke with Richard and told him that "the people of Israel are angered and hurt by his statement."

"He apologised on behalf of himself and the company and he said that they condemn all form of boycott," Shalom added.

Their talk came shortly after the Elysee Palace said Friday it does not support a boycott on Israel, in the wake of heavy Israeli pressure to renounce Richard's remark.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the French government on Thursday to publicly condemn Orange company for severing ties with its Israeli subsidiary,

"I call on the French government to publicly repudiate the miserable statement and miserable action by a company that is under its partial ownership," Netanyahu said

Anti-occupation activists in France have been pressuring their government, which holds 25 percent stake at Orange's parent company France Telecom, to end its relationship with Partner. Endit