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April 20, 2018

Natalie Portman Refuses to Go to Israel to Accept Award over "Recent Events"
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In Israel, the organizers for the Genesis Prize, known as Israel's Nobel
Prize, have been forced to cancel the upcoming award ceremony, after the
winner of this year's prize, American-Israeli actress Natalie Portman,
said she is refusing to travel to Israel to participate because of her
distress over recent events. Portman has won an Academy Award, a Golden
Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and has starred in the new
"Star Wars" trilogy, as well as the movies "Black Swan," "Closer" and "V
for Vendetta." The Genesis Prize comes with a $2 million award.
Portman's decision not to participate in the ceremony comes as the
Israeli military is in the midst of a brutal and deadly crackdown
against Palestinian protesters in Gaza. Israeli snipers have killed
dozens of unarmed Palestinian protesters so far.


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