---

---

Exhibit 12.1

Certification of
Principal Executive Officer pursuant to 17 CFR 240.13a-14(a),as adopted pursuant
to §302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act

I, Eric Paneth, certify
that:

| | 1. | I have reviewed this annual report on Form 20-F of Orckit Communications Ltd.;
| | -- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | 2. | Based on my knowledge, this annual report does not contain any untrue statement
               of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the
               statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were
               made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
| | -- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | 3. | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information
               included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial
               condition, results of operations and cash flows of the company as of, and for,
               the periods presented in this report;
| | -- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | 4. | The companys other certifying officers and I are responsible for
               establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in
               Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the company and have:
| | -- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | (a) | Designed
such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure           controls and
procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that           material
information relating to the company, including its consolidated           subsidiaries,
is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly           during the
period in which this report is being prepared;
| | --- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | (b) | Evaluated
the effectiveness of the companys disclosure controls and           procedures and
presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness           of the
disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered           by this
report based on such evaluation; and
| | --- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | (c) | Disclosed
in this report any change in the companys internal control over           financial
reporting that occurred during the period covered by the annual report           that has
materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the           companys
internal control over financial reporting; and
| | --- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | 5. | The companys other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based on our
               most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the
               companys auditors and the audit committee of the companys board of
               directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
| | -- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



---

---

| | (a) | All
significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation           of
internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to
          adversely affect the companys ability to record, process, summarize and
          report financial information; and
| | --- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | (b) | Any
fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees           who
have a significant role in the companys internal control over           financial
reporting.
| | --- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: March 12, 2006

| |  | BY: /S/ Eric Paneth
Eric Paneth, Chief Executive Officer
| |  | ----------------------------------------------------------------------



---

---