以色列議會通過極具爭議的《猶太民族國家法案》

Israel's parliament has passed into law a controversial bill that defines the country as an exclusively Jewish state.

近日，以色列議會通過了一項頗具爭議、將以色列定義爲只有猶太人的國家的法案。

The "Jewish nation state" bill downgrades Arabic as an official language and says advancing Jewish settlement is a national interest.

“猶太國”法案廢除了阿拉伯語的官方語言地位，並稱建立猶太人定居點是一項關乎國家利益的大事。

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

該法案還聲稱“完整統一的”耶路撒冷是其首都。

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

以色列阿拉伯裔議員譴責了這項立法，但總理本雅明·內塔尼亞胡卻稱讚這是一個“決定性的時刻”。

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".

該法案由以色列右翼政府支持，稱“以色列是猶太人的歷史家園，他們擁有民族自決的專有權”。

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.

這場以色列議會持續長達八小時，在一陣激烈的討論後通過了該法案。62名議員投票贊成該法案，55人反對。

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，在以色列總統和總檢察長提出反對意見後，有些條款被撤銷，其中包括一項法律規定只建立猶太社區的條款。

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

阿拉伯議員艾哈默德·提米稱，該法案的通過代表了“民主的死亡”。