Actress Natalie Portman recently made her feature film directorial debut with the movie A Tale of Love and Darkness, a story based on the autobiographical novel of radical Israeli extremist author Amos Oz. The Academy-Award winning Hollywood star bought the rights to the book directly from the fanatical Oz.
In March 2011, Oz sent imprisoned terrorist Marwan Barghouti a copy of his book in Arabic translation with his personal dedication in Hebrew:
“This story is our story, I hope you read it and understand us as we understand you, hoping to see you outside and in peace, yours, Amos Oz.”
Barghouti has been convicted of coordinating suicide bombers, has been found guilty of murder, and is currently serving five life sentences in an Israeli prison.
Oz claimed at his seventy-fifth birthday party that those perpetrating so-called “price-tag” actions - what the Obama administration defines as destructive and intimidating actions by Israelis directed against Palestinians and their property - are neo-Nazis. He said,
“I cannot stand to hear the term ‘price tag,’ and even more I cannot bear to hear the prettified term ‘Hilltop Youth [hardline, nationalist youth from the settlements]. ‘Price tag’ and ‘Hilltop Youth’ are sweet, sugary nicknames, and the time has come to call this monster by its name. We wanted to be like all other nations, we longed for there to be a Hebrew thief and a Hebrew prostitute [alluding to a famous comment sometimes attributed to David Ben-Gurion] — and there are Hebrew neo-Nazi groups... There is nothing that the neo-Nazis in Europe do that these groups [in Israel] don’t do.”
In 1995, Amos Oz wrote in The New York Times that followers of Israel’s Likud party were accomplices of Hamas. This extremist has called for boycotts of certain areas of Israel and said that the capital of Israel, Jerusalem, “is moving in the direction of Qum, in Iran.”
While I am not particularly concerned with what Natalie Portman thinks or says about politics as she’s an actress, she has said “I’m very much against Netanyahu.” While many disagree with her perspective on the democratically elected Prime Minister, I believe that’s a fair political opinion for her to hold.
What is out of bounds and must be condemned is Oz’s political work to urge a boycott against products made over the green line – the “settlements” of Israel.
During the high-profile SodaStream debacle, which saw actress Scarlett Johansson step down as “global ambassador” of Oxfam centered around this very issue. Ms. Johansson noted that she has “a fundamental difference of opinion” with Oxfam International because the charity opposes all trade from Israeli settlements, and that she and Oxfam “have a fundamental difference of opinion in regards to the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.”
Scarlett Johansson was right – and Natalie Portman is wrong. Any boycott of Israel is harmful, and a danger to peace.
Ronn Torossian is CEO of 5WPR, and author of “For Immediate Release.”
Any boycott of Israel is harmful, and a danger to peace.
Actress Natalie Portman recently made her feature film directorial debut with the movie A Tale of Love and Darkness, a story based on the autobiographical novel of radical Israeli extremist author Amos Oz. The Academy-Award winning Hollywood star bought the rights to the book directly from the fanatical Oz.
In March 2011, Oz sent imprisoned terrorist Marwan Barghouti a copy of his book in Arabic translation with his personal dedication in Hebrew:
Barghouti has been convicted of coordinating suicide bombers, has been found guilty of murder, and is currently serving five life sentences in an Israeli prison.
Oz claimed at his seventy-fifth birthday party that those perpetrating so-called “price-tag” actions - what the Obama administration defines as destructive and intimidating actions by Israelis directed against Palestinians and their property - are neo-Nazis. He said,
In 1995, Amos Oz wrote in The New York Times that followers of Israel’s Likud party were accomplices of Hamas. This extremist has called for boycotts of certain areas of Israel and said that the capital of Israel, Jerusalem, “is moving in the direction of Qum, in Iran.”
While I am not particularly concerned with what Natalie Portman thinks or says about politics as she’s an actress, she has said “I’m very much against Netanyahu.” While many disagree with her perspective on the democratically elected Prime Minister, I believe that’s a fair political opinion for her to hold.
What is out of bounds and must be condemned is Oz’s political work to urge a boycott against products made over the green line – the “settlements” of Israel.
During the high-profile SodaStream debacle, which saw actress Scarlett Johansson step down as “global ambassador” of Oxfam centered around this very issue. Ms. Johansson noted that she has “a fundamental difference of opinion” with Oxfam International because the charity opposes all trade from Israeli settlements, and that she and Oxfam “have a fundamental difference of opinion in regards to the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.”
Scarlett Johansson was right – and Natalie Portman is wrong. Any boycott of Israel is harmful, and a danger to peace.
Ronn Torossian is CEO of 5WPR, and author of “For Immediate Release.”
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