Natalie Portman: 'Israel needs an army'

Natalie Portman has said that Israel must retain its army if it is to remain secure.

However, the Jerusalem-born Brothers actress told Parade that she would find it difficult to send her own children to fight in a war.

Portman said: "I could not do it myself. But, I also think that in the world we live in, in certain countries, you can't not have an army.

"Obviously, I'm referring specifically to Israel. I think if Israel didn't have an army, it wouldn't exist. That's a hypothesis I really wouldn't want to test, like the Israelis going, 'Okay, let's just try it out and not have an army and see what happens'."

She added: "I talked to military wives who really gave me a sense of the strength that it takes to have your spouse fighting a war overseas. They have to be tough, too.

"I think that women are remarkably able to deal with bad times and just sort of take control when it needs to happen. They have a great survival mechanism.

"In the history of warfare, while the men were away, the women were taking care of everything at home. They show this incredible capacity to sort of rise to the occasion."