Israeli-American businessman Haim Saban recently initiated preliminary talks with Ilan Ben-Dov to explore the possibility of acquiring the Partner telecommunications company, TheMarker reported on Tuesday. Partner, which operates under the Orange brand name, is a major provider of mobile and fixed telephone services, as well as Internet Wi-Fi, in Israel. Any candidate to acquire Partner would have to reach an understanding on the company's stock price, which now trades around 17 shekels ($4.22) per share. Ben-Dov is demanding a higher price for the company and Saban is willing to pay between NIS 22 ($5.46) and NIS 25 ($6.20) per share. According to Forbes magazine, Saban is tied at 401st on the list of world's richest billionaires, with a net worth of $2.9 billion. On Tuesday, Saban wrote an op-ed in The New York Times called "The Truth about Obama and Israel" in which he explained why he will vote for U.S. President Barack Obama to be re-elected in November, arguing that Obama will be better for Israel than Republican candidate Mitt Romney. "When I enter the voting booth, Im going to ask myself, what do I prefer for Israel and its relationship with the United States: meaningful action or empty rhetoric? To me the answer is clear: Ill take another four years of Mr. Obamas steadfast support over Mr. Romneys sweet nothings," Saban wrote. In 2002, Saban funded the creation of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, which researches and analyzes U.S. policy in the Middle East.
