French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius issued a statement designed to cool tensions with Israel on Friday, hours after telecom giant Orange announced it will soon cut ties with its Israeli affiliate in a move many Israelis see as yet another sign of European hostility. “While it is up to the president of the Orange group to define the commercial strategy of its company, France is firmly opposed to any boycott of Israel,” Fabius insisted. Orange, which is partially owned by the French government, also issued a statement that the move was taken for financial, not political reasons. But few Israeli analysts and commentators appeared to be taking this statement seriously. “I call on the French government to publicly repudiate the miserable statement and miserable action by a company that is under its partial ownership,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday evening. Read More
