以色列议会通过极具争议的《犹太民族国家法案》

Israel's parliament has passed into law acontroversial bill that defines the country as anexclusively Jewish state.

近日，以色列议会通过了一项颇具争议、将以色列定义为只有犹太人的国家的法案。

The "Jewish nation state" bill downgrades Arabic asan official language and says advancing Jewishsettlement is a national interest.

“犹太国”法案废除了阿拉伯语的官方语言地位，并称建立犹太人定居点是一项关乎国家利益的大事。

It also states that the "whole and united" Jerusalemis its capital.

该法案还声称“完整统一的”耶路撒冷是其首都。

Israeli Arab MPs condemned the legislation but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised itas a "defining moment".

以色列阿拉伯裔议员谴责了这项立法，但总理本雅明·内塔尼亚胡却称赞这是一个“决定性的时刻”。

The bill, backed by the country's right-wing government, says "Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people and they have an exclusive right to national self-determination in it".

该法案由以色列右翼政府支持，称“以色列是犹太人的历史家园，他们拥有民族自决的专有权”。

It was passed after a stormy session in the Knesset that lasted more than eight hours. Sixty-two MPs voted for the bill, with 55 against.

这场以色列议会持续长达八小时，在一阵激烈的讨论后通过了该法案。62名议员投票赞成该法案，55人反对。

However some clauses were dropped following objections by Israel's president and attorney-general, including a clause that would have enshrined in law the creation of Jewish-only communities.

然而，在以色列总统和总检察长提出反对意见后，有些条款被撤销，其中包括一项法律规定只建立犹太社区的条款。

Arab MP Ahmed Tibi said the bill's passing represented the "death of democracy".

阿拉伯议员艾哈默德·提米称，该法案的通过代表了“民主的死亡”。