In what appears to be the most significant victory to date for the Israel boycott movement, the French mobile telephone company Orange has announced it is ending its operations in Israel.

Orange’s decision to end its brand- licensing deal with the Israeli mobile operator Partner Communications, came a day after Orange chief executive Stephane Richard made comments in Cairo that were perceived in Israel as support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to cut all ties with Israel, similar to the anti-apartheid campaign against South Africa.

The Orange move follows last week’s Palestinian attempt to suspend Israel from Fifa and the decision earlier this week by the British National Union of Students to support the BDS campaign. There is a growing feeling in Israel of international isolation, similar to the period of the Arab boycott in the decades following Israel’s independence in 1948.

Furore

In comments that caused a furore in Israel, Mr Richard said he wished to end business with Israel immediately but was limited by contractual restrictions that would require Orange to pay hefty compensation. He said the decision was in part due to the firm’s relations with Arab countries.

Orange yesterday downplayed the political significance of the move, stressing commercial considerations.

“The Orange group is a telecoms operator and as such its primary concern is to defend and promote the value of its brand in markets in which it is present,” Orange said. “The group does not engage in any kind of political debate under any circumstance.”

Miserable

Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu called on the French government, which owns 25 per cent of Orange, to distance itself from Mr Richard’s comments.

“I call on the French government to renounce publicly the miserable statements and the miserable actions of a company of which it holds partial ownership,” he said.

“I call on all of our closest allies to say in a loud and clear voice that they unconditionally oppose all types of boycott against the Jewish state. This theatre of the absurd will not be forgiven.”

The Israeli embassy in Paris sought “immediate clarification” from French authorities over Mr Richard’s remarks

Israel’s culture minister Miri Regev called on the French president Francois Hollande to fire the Orange cief executive, and she urged Jewish customers of Orange around the world to change carriers.