Natalie Portman 'not comfortable' participating in Israeli award ceremony

Hollywood actor and film producer Natalie Portman has cancelled her trip to Israel to receive an honour in light of “recent events”.

The organisation, Genesis Prize Foundation, has cancelled its annual ceremony after Portman's decision to not take part in the June event which is Israel’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency quoted the Israeli-American film star’s representative as saying that Portman has refused to attend the awards ceremony because “recent events in Israel have been extremely distressing to her and she does not feel comfortable participating in any public events in Israel” and that “she cannot in good conscience move forward with the ceremony.”

Thirty-one Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of a mass protest, the Great March Return, on March 30 along the fenced 65-km Gaza-Israel frontier. No Israeli casualties have been reported.

The actress had been announced as an honoree by the Genesis Prize Foundation in November.

The organisation honours notable individuals "who inspire others through their dedication to the Jewish community and Jewish values”.

“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," read a statement from the Genesis Prize Foundation.

The foundation added, "However, we are very saddened that she has decided not to attend the Genesis Prize Ceremony in Jerusalem for political reasons. We fear that Portman’s decision will cause our philanthropic initiative to be politicised, something we have worked hard for the past five years to avoid.”

Portman, who was born in Jerusalem, has openly criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the past. She told The Hollywood Reporter in a 2015 interview, "I'm very much against Netanyahu. Against. I am very, very upset and disappointed that he was re-elected."