Amazon will be significantly expanding its operations in Israel. PHOTO: Wikipedia.

French telecommunications company Orange might be pulling out, but web giant Amazon is planning a significant expansion of its research and development operations in Israel, including opening new offices in Herzliya in which 150 individuals will be employed, Israeli business newspaper The Marker reported on Wednesday.

Amazon selected local company JLL, a real-estate consulting firm, to locate a 3,000 square meter office, and the Hadas Makov architectural firm to design the space. If they are unable to find a suitable facility in Herzliya, the company will consider other options such as Tel Aviv or its environs, according to the report.

The new headquarters will allow Amazon to significantly grow and focus its Israel operations, particularly in the cloud computing and R&D fields, which are currently spread out over several offices in Israel’s central region.

As it stands today, Amazon has thirty employees in Israel in its approximately 600 square meter Ramat Gan premises.