Palestinians hold national flags in front of Israeli soldiers as they take part in a protest against a new Jewish settlement outpost near the West Bank City of Hebron, on June 26, 2018. (Xinhua)

RAMALLAH, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Officials of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) slammed on Thursday the passing of Israeli "nation-state" bill into law, highlighting its discrimination.

PLO Secretary General Saeb Erekat said in a tweet that the law is "racist par excellence," and that it "denies the Arab citizens their right to self determination, instead, be determined by the Jewish population."

He added that "the Jewish Nation-State bill official legalized apartheid and legally defines Israel as an apartheid system."

PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi said in a statement that "the Jewish Nation-State law gives license to apartheid, discrimination, ethnic cleansing, and sectarianism at the expense of the Palestinian people."

"Such racist and prejudicial legislation is illegal by all standards of international law, democracy, humanity, justice, tolerance and inclusion," she added.

Ashrawi accused the Israeli government of adopting a "policy of ethnic purity and supremacy, thereby regulating the indigenous Palestinian citizens to second class status."

She went on saying that the new bill confirms "Israel's willful intent to erase the Palestinian narrative, presence and continuity on the land, while actively eradicating the history, culture and identity of the Palestinian people which predate the creation of the state of Israel."

Ashrawi condemned that the U.S. administration "blind bias in favor of Israel and its total disdain for international law have emboldened Israel to persist with such unlawful and immoral policies," urging the international community to call this legislation into question.

The Israeli Knesset (Parliament) approved the "Jewish Nation-State Basic Law" by a 62-55 vote early Thursday. The law constitutionally enshrines the identity of the State of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people.

The law has spurred controversy due to its adopting the ethnic-religious character of Israel as being exclusively Jewish. Being a basic law, it is capable of overriding any ordinary legislation.