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Natalie Portman Condemns Israeli Nation-State Law as 'Racist'

© AP Photo / Jordan Strauss/InvisionNatalie Portman arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of "Annihilation" at the Regency Village Theatre on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018
Natalie Portman arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of Annihilation at the Regency Village Theatre on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018 - Sputnik International
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This is not the first time that the award-winning actress criticises Israeli policies that negatively affect the country’s Arab population. Her remarks prompted suspicions that she supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, something which she later denied, saying that she only opposes Benjamin Netanyahu's policies.

Hollywood actress of Israeli descent Natalie Portman has come up with another round of criticism against the Israeli government, slamming it for adopting a nation-state law in an interview with Al-Quds newspaper. Portman called the law "racist" and strongly opposed its concept as erroneous.

"This [law] is a mistake and I do not agree with it", she said.

Natalie Portman arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of Annihilation at the Regency Village Theatre on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018 - Sputnik International
No BDS Fan: Natalie Portman Rebuffs Criticism for Skipping “Jewish Nobel Prize”

Despite being born in Israel, Portman has repeatedly voiced criticism at some of its policies. She previously condemned the Israeli nation-state law in an interview with BBC Arabic, calling it "wrong and racist".

She also boycotted the Genesis Prize ceremony, an award for Jewish people who have achieved great success in their professions, in 2018. She later explained that she did it in protest against the policies of Benjamin Netanyahu, who gave a speech at the award ceremony. She also rejected rumours about her alleged support for the BDS movement, stating that she is critical of the Israeli leadership, not the entire nation.

READ MORE: Natalie Portman Sets Twitter Ablaze With Stand Against "Recent Events" in Israel

On 19 July, 2018, the Israeli parliament passed a constitutional law declaring Israel a "nation-state", which stipulates that only Jewish people would have the right to self-determination. The controversial law also declares Hebrew as the only official language, stripping Arabic of the same status. Critics of the legislation insist that it turns Arabic population of Israel into second-class citizens.

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