Natalie Portman slams Israel's "racist" nation state law

The Jerusalem-born actress has been outspoken against the Israeli government in the past.

epa06687101 (FILE) - US actress Natalie Portman arrives for the premiere of 'Planetarium' at the 73rd annual Venice International Film Festival, in Venice, Italy, 08 September 2016 (reissued 23 April 2018). According to reports, Natalie Portman on 23 April 2018 has rejected her Genesis Prize in protest against the policies of Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu.  EPA/CLAUDIO ONORATI *** Local Caption *** 53007843
Powered by automated translation

Natalie Portman has criticised Israel’s nation state law, calling it “racist” and “a mistake”.

In an interview with London-based Arabic newspaper Al Quds Al Arabi, the Israeli-American actress said she wanted people to work together to make a difference in the current situation.

The nation state law, brought into legislation in July and named ‘Israel as the Nation State of the Jewish People’, effectively gives state sanction to the creation of residential areas for Jews only that would be off limits to Arabs, according to legal scholars and Arab rights activists.

It also enshrines Hebrew as the “state language” while demoting Arabic from an official language in Israel to one with "special status”.

“This [law] is a mistake and I do not agree with it,” Ms Portman, who grew up in the US, said. “I hope we can love our neighbours and work together with our neighbours for change.” The newspaper also reported she called the controversial law “racist”.

This isn’t the first time Ms Portman has stood up for the rights of Arabs living in Israel and the Palestinian people. In April, she announced she would not attend the ceremony to receive the Genesis Prize, known as the ‘Jewish Laureate’ In Israel, citing the “mistreatment of those suffering from today’s atrocities” by the Israeli government.

_______________

Read more:

Natalie Portman says Benjamin Netanyahu the reason she skipped Israel ceremony

Palestinian gunman kills two in occupied West Bank

_______________

The interview is part of the promotion for Ms Portman’s upcoming film, Vox Lux, in which a 13-year-old girl survives a mass shooting, going on to become a musical superstar.