Jerusalem: Knesset, Israel’s parliament has defined themselves as ‘nation state of Jewish people’ and ‘they have an exclusive right to national self-determination on it’. The law was adopted on Thursday, Aljazeera reported.

The adoption of law has provoked fears that it will lead to blatant discrimination against its Palestinian citizens.

The legislation was adopted by 62 votes to 55, and it makes Hebrew the country’s national language and.

Not only does the law define the establishment of Jewish communities as ‘being in the national interest’, it also downgrades Arabic to a “special status” that enables its continued use within Israeli institutions stripping the language of it being an official language.

According to Aljazeera report the law also states that an undivided Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.

“This is a defining moment in the annals of Zionism and the history of the state of Israel,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset after the vote.

Palestinian members of the Knesset have condemned the bill.