Hollywood actress Natalie Portman has declined a million-dollar prize and refused to participate in a ceremony in Israel because of "recent events" in the country, the organizers said, canceling the prize-giving altogether.
Israel has drawn international criticism in recent weeks for tactics used during clashes with Palestinians along the border with Gaza. At least 30 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded. Israel says its actions are necessary to prevent terrorists from breaching the border and attacking Israelis.
In a statement on its website, the foundation that awards the Genesis Prize, colloquially known as the "Jewish Nobel," quoted a representative for Portman as saying: "Recent events in Israel have been extremely distressing to her and she does not feel comfortable participating in any public events in Israel."
It gave no further details of her reasons. An email to Portman's publicist in Los Angeles seeking further information was not immediately answered.
The foundation said it "admires her humanity, and respects her right to publicly disagree with the policies of the government of Israel".
"However, we are very saddened that she has decided not to attend the Genesis Prize Ceremony in Jerusalem for political reasons. We fear that Ms. Portman's decision will cause our philanthropic initiative to be politicized."
Portman's announcement sparked outrage in Israel, with a number of politicians lashing out at the esteemed actress. Likud MK Oren Hazan remarked Friday that "the idea to award the Genesis Prize to Natalie Portman was crazy to begin with. An Israeli Jew who takes advantage of her [Israeli] heritage to advance her career on the one hand but also prides herself on managing to avoid [mandatory] military service … is not worthy of any kind of recognition in the State of Israel."
"But something good could come out of this: I call on Interior Minister Aryeh Deri to strip Portman of her Israeli citizenship," Hazan continued. "Continuing to label her an Israeli gives anti-Israel organizations the tools to bash and weaken the state, so we need to respond with a painful and appropriate measure and revoke Portman's citizenship."
"On a personal note," Hazan added, "even though I am a huge movie aficionado, I intend to boycott every film that includes Portman and I call on the Israeli public to do the same.
Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev also leveled criticism at the move, saying Friday that "I was saddened to hear that Natalie Portman has fallen, like a ripe fruit, into the hands of BDS supporters," referring to the anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.
"A Jewish actress, born in Israel, has now joined the chorus of people who view the wondrous success story of Israel as a story of darkness and darkness," she added, referencing the iconic Amos Oz novel "A Tale of Love and Darkness," which Portman recently made into a film.
The Genesis Prize has been awarded since 2014 to individuals for excellence in their professional fields and "who inspire others through their dedication to the Jewish community and Jewish values."
Previous winners include former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, sculptor Anish Kapoor, violinist Itzhak Perlman and Hollywood actor Michael Douglas, all of whom donated their prize money to charities.
Portman was born in Jerusalem and moved to the United States at age 3.
