Natalie Portman has cancelled her upcoming trip to Israel.
The 36-year-old Black Swan actress was set to venture to the Middle Eastern country in June to attend a ceremony put on by the Genesis Prize Foundation.
Portman's decision to not attend the ceremony comes just days after the European Union called for an official investigation into Israel's use of live ammunition against Palestinian protesters on the Gaza border.
It was announced back in November that Portman had won the 2018 Genesis Prize.
Oh well: Natalie Portman has cancelled her upcoming trip to Israel (seen here at the Women's March in January in Los Angeles)
Said prize, which is known as the 'Jewish Nobel,' honors 'extraordinary individuals who serve as an inspiration to the next generation of Jews through their outstanding professional achievement, commitment to Jewish values and to the Jewish people.'
Of course Portman was born in Israel but grew up in the United States.
Upon finding out that she won, she stated that she was 'deeply touched and humbled by the honor,' before also proclaiming that she's 'proud of my Israeli roots and Jewish heritage.'
Strong! In addition to her impressive acting career, Portman has also taken on the role of social activist (seen here at the Women's March in Los Angeles in 2017)But on Thursday the prize foundation announced that Portman would no longer be venturing to her homeland to attend the award ceremony and thus the event would be cancelled.
'Ms. Portman is a highly accomplished actress, a committed social activist and a wonderful human being. The staff of the Foundation enjoyed getting to know her over the past six months, admires her humanity, and respects her right to publicly disagree with the policies of the government of Israel,' said the foundation in a statement published by the New York Daily News.
'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, something we have worked hard for the past five years to avoid.'
Decorated: Natalie has enjoyed a stellar Hollywood career, including two Golden Globe wins, two Oscar nominations and one win (pictured at 2017 Golden Globes with husband Benjamin Millepied)
Impressive: Previous winners of the prestigious prize include media baron and politician Michael Bloomberg, musician Itzhak Perlman and actor Michael Douglas (pictured)
Portman has kept her reason for forgoing the trip vague, stating that 'recent events' were to blame.
The Gaza border has seen protests and clashes since March 30.
At least 34 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds wounded by Israeli fire since the protests began. There have been no Israeli casualties.
Israel says it only opens fire when necessary to stop damage to the fence, infiltrations and attempts at attacks.
Palestinians say protesters are being shot while posing no threat to soldiers, while the European Union and UN chief Antonio Guterres have called for an independent investigation.
Israel has rejected calls for an independent probe, saying its open-fire rules are necessary to defend the border.
Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008 and the Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli blockade for more than a decade.
Previous winners of the prestigious prize include media baron and politician Michael Bloomberg, musician Itzhak Perlman and actor Michael Douglas.
Meanwhile, Natalie can next be seen in Vox Lux playing the role of a rising pop star named Celeste. 
Wild! Meanwhile, Natalie can next be seen in Vox Lux playing the role of a rising pop star named Celeste
No comments:
Post a Comment