Controversy with Israel: the CEO of Orange is explained Netanyahu s … – Le Monde

Le Monde | 04/06/2015 at 16:43 • Updated 06/04/2015 at 19:37 | By Sarah and Piotr Smolar Belouezzane (Jerusalem correspondent)

Under the fire of criticism in Israel, Stéphane Richard, CEO of Orange, decided to explain, Thursday, June 4, on a little phrase he delivered the day before and that has put the country in turmoil. While in Cairo, Mr. Richard had said that if he could, he would decide soon “tomorrow” the withdrawal of Orange Israel. This statement seemed to give a favorable response to calls for boycotts in various countries against the Jewish state, due to the continued occupation in the West Bank.

The head of the French operator wanted to remember that his group is not itself directly present in Israel. The question of a departure is not therefore arise. The only issue, said Mr. Richard, is that the withdrawal of the use of the Orange trade mark by Partner. Orange has indeed in Israel of a license agreement with the operator, which in this setting, uses the trademark in exchange for a fee. However, this agreement dates from 1998, that is to say where that mark was still owned by the Chinese group Hutchison, two years before its acquisition by France Telecom.

“The Orange group n is not shareholder of Partner and thus has no influence on the strategy or the operational development of it “, also explained the direction of the operator in a statement on Thursday.

“Nothing to do with the political context ”

“This is a company that uses the name of Orange but that has nothing to do with the group and that is not controlled by us “, Richard has indicated to the World , noting that no other operator in the world has the use of the Orange brand. And that it is immediately removed when disposals of subsidiaries to another operator.

“It is not in the group’s policy that an operator over which we have no control uses our brand, “, he said. But in the case of Partner, the usage agreement runs for brand until 2025. Hence, says Mr. Richard, his remarks on the fact that if he could, he would decide soon “tomorrow” a withdrawal. So the brand. He concluded: “This has nothing to do with the political context. “

Read also: Orange evokes his Israeli withdrawal, which demands an apology

Netanyahu asks the State French react

In Israel, about Mr. Richard made the “A” of all newspapers on Thursday and reactions have multiplied across the political spectrum. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned, no question of forgiving “the absurd drama in which a democracy respectful of human rights, the State of Israel, defends against missile dams and tunnels terrorists, and suffered automatic condemnation and boycott attempts. ” The head of government called the French state to “publicly renounce the declaration and the action of a miserable society” which he is a shareholder.

President Reuven Rivlin also urged the French government to decide. “Worryingly, I still have not heard from French leaders, as was the case in Britain, convictions of the remarks made by the CEO of France Télécom” he has said. As the head of the Zionist Union (center-left), the opponent Isaac Herzog, he felt that “ Orange is a continuation of the attack” that began with the attempted suspension of Israel within FIFA. He questioned the attitude of the Prime Minister, who “continue to watch from the sidelines, leaving Israeli citizens and the only companies in the field, without a plan. “

Increasing pressure on Orange

Mr. Richard is accused of having tried to answer with the words, the growing pressure on his company, as part of the boycott and calls for sanctions against the country, due to the continued occupation in the West Bank.

In a report published a few weeks ago, entitled “Orange dangerous liaisons in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”, several organizations, including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the CGT and the Catholic Committee against Hunger and for Development (CCFD), have in fact called the French government shareholder to bend the operator.

The report recalled that the business relationship between Orange and Partner is based on “ a brand licensing agreement signed in 1998, renewed in 2011 and amended in 2015″ , enabling Partner to use the image of orange. In this way, Orange accomplice would go indirectly to the Israeli occupation in the West Bank. “The Israeli telecommunications company Partner carries out economic activities and making profits in Israeli settlements, noted the report. She built and has one hundred antennas on private Palestinian land confiscated, offers its services to the settlers and the Israeli army, and takes advantage of restrictions on the Palestinian economy. “

In a statement released Thursday, the organizations behind the report have described the words of Mr. Richard ” significant development “ after their bets repeated warnings addressed to Orange. But they ask this of “concrete steps” , discarding the argument of the financial penalties that the operator would have to pay in case of breach of contract.