Beiruts citizens were treated to a surprising sight this week, when global cosmetics company Dior plastered a massive billboard bearing the face of their ambassador, Israeli-American actress Natalie Portman, across a building in the citys center. Portman, an Oscar-winning actress, was born in Jerusalem to Israeli parents and raised in New York State. The advertisement was hung on a building next to the Forum de Beirut, a cultural events center in Beirut, according to Lebanese bloggers who spotted the ad this week. Lebanese bloggers who learned of the poster took to the Internet in protest. One writer, on the Now Lebanon website, said, Portman, who was born in Jerusalem and whose real last name is Hershlag, has spoken at length about her love for her home country and how she wants to move back there once there is peace. She is very active in Zionist groups, though she is also a human rights activistas long as those humans arent Palestinians. The blogger explained that any dealings with Israel are considered illegal and a crime in Lebanon, including the hanging of a poster of Portman. Last year, former top designer for Dior, John Galliano, was fired after making anti-Semitic slurs in public. The incident provoked a sharp response from Portman, who said she was deeply shocked and disgusted by Gallianos comments and said she would not be associated with the designer in any way. Galliano was dismissed from the fashion house following the incident.
