Actress Natalie Portman has labelled Israel’s Nation-state law as “racist” in an interview she gave to Arabic newspaper Al Quds Al-Arabi.

“The Nation-State law is racist,” the Israeli-American actress said in an interview published on Wednesday.

“It is a mistake and I don’t agree with it … [people’s] lives are [being] affected on a personal level by decisions made by politicians.”

“I only hope that we will be able to truly love our neighbours and that we can work together,” she added.

Portman referred to a law passed earlier this year that declares Israel as a Jewish state, with “united Jerusalem” as its capital.

Israel’s Arab citizens number some 1.8 million, about 20 percent of the nine million population.

This is not the first time that Portman has criticised the Israeli government.

In April she pulled out of a prize ceremony in Jerusalem. The actress, who originally accepted the award, later said she was not willing to attend because “she did not want to appear as endorsing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.”

In an Instagram post she explained that “like many Israelis and Jews around the world, I can be critical of the leadership in Israel without wanting to boycott the entire nation.”

“I treasure my Israeli friends and family, Israeli food, books, art, cinema, and dance … But the mistreatment of those suffering from today’s atrocities is simply not in line with my Jewish values,” she added.