Natalie Portman and BDS are not one and the same
Op-ed: The Israeli Right has chosen not to listen to the Israel-born actress’ incredibly reasoned statement: I’m against a boycott, but I won’t be your leadership’s poster girl. Portman represents the young, liberal and educated generation of US Jews, who love Israel but are gradually drifting away from the state.
Culture Minister Miri Regev, who once had trouble remembering the name of her favorite Tarantino film, chose "A Tale of Love and Darkness”—one of Natalie Portman’s not so famous films, at least in the world—to scold the star. What a shame.
Public Minister Gilad Erdan, on the other hand, diverted the fire to her blockbusters, the Star Wars films. In an open letter to Portman, he argued, dead seriously (and in graceful geekiness, might I add), that she might give in to the temptation, facing the young Darth Vader, who decided to abandon the forces of the Light Side in favor of the forces of the Dark Side, no less.
Let’s ignore the fact that any Star Wars fans should know that Portman pretty much despises the Star Wars films she took part in and has even mocked them in public. And let’s ignore the political wisdom in comparing the Jewish star to the most famous villain in the history of cinema. I also assume that a lot can be written about the Israeli perception that sees the BDS movement—which is still made up mostly of students and temporary activists, okay?—as an omnipotent evil empire, which has the world’s greatest army, while we, who have just celebrated 70 years of independence, still see ourselves as persecuted Jedi Knights.
But with all due respect to this geeky and marginal discussion, it was Portman who brought us back to reality, to the complexity beyond superficial images of "the War of the Sons of Light against the Sons of Darkness.” Yes, Portman says, you can disassociate yourself both from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and from the BDS, love Israel and criticize it without boycotting it—all at the same time. Don’t take words that don’t come directly from me as my own and don’t mischaracterize my decisions, she wrote twice in her letter. Let me speak for myself. And you know what? She has a right to do so.
It’s easy to blame everything on the BDS, but Portman isn’t Lorde, a young singer from the other side of the world who called off a concert in Israel following huge pressure from that same movement.
Portman is an Israel-born educated Jew, who studied at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and directed a Hebrew-speaking film here. She has more than a clue about what is happening here in Israel—and she has spoken about the political situation here quite often, specifically mentioning her opposition to Netanyahu. We chose not to listen. So there’s no reason to be surprised when we see her reaction to what she interprets as a destructive process that Israel is going through. Here’s a spoiler: Many Israelis share her opinion.
Now, the Right is trying to argue that Portman and the BDS are one and the same, instead of listening to her harsh and incredibly reasoned statement: I’m against a boycott, but I won’t be your leadership’s poster girl either.
And this is where we should also say something about the hypocrisy in the current attempts to make a mockery of Portman. Because there’s nothing Minister Regev or Netanyahu like more than a photo opportunity with a celebrity—whether Jewish or not—who comes to pet us on the back. Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Douglas, Keanu Reeves and Conan O’Brien have all been turned into the prime minister’s silent advocates in a variety of photo ops. And now, a strong-minded star diverts from the embracing approach, dares to open her mouth and take a stand, and the talkbackers suddenly remember that she’s just an actress, and not a real Israeli anyway.
Technically, they’re right: Portman isn’t exactly Israeli. But she does represent the young, liberal and educated generation of US Jews, who knows Israel very well, loves it and is gradually drifting away from the state. And this is much more serious than any imaginary cinematic empire of BDS activists coming to attack us from space.
