Natalie pulls out of Israeli $1m prize
NATALIE Portman has refused to attend a ceremony in Israel to accept a million-dollar prize over ‘distressing’ events in the country.
The actress, 36, had been due to pick up the Genesis Prize – dubbed the Jewish Nobel – which is awarded for ‘dedication to the Jewish community and Jewish values’.
But Israeli-born Miss Portman has pulled out, forcing the June bash to be cancelled. Israel is under fire over recent clashes with Palestinians on its border with Gaza. Some 31 Palestinians have been killed.
The Genesis Prize Foundation quoted a spokesman for the star 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.’
The foundation said it ‘respects her right to disagree with the policies of Israel’ but feared that Miss Portman’s decision would cause its initiative ‘to be politicised’.