The chairman of Orange told AFP on Saturday that he "sincerely" regretted a "controversy" over the French telecoms group's relations with Israel, saying, the Orange Group "is in Israel to stay".

Stephane Richard denied that the company's decision to end its brand-licensing agreement with Partner, Israel's second largest mobile operator, "as soon as possible from a contractual point of view", in any way implied that Orange was seeking to withdraw from the Jewish state.