It was like a whirlwind had blown through the Knesset - a stormy session with ripped copies of the nation state bill thrown in the air by disgusted Arab MPs.

The bill which has taken years in the making has stumbled over many delays and disputes and to say it is controversial is an understatement.

The final version defines Israel as an exclusively Jewish state, stating that it is "the historic homeland of the Jewish people and they have an exclusive right to national self determination in it".

Arab Israelis say it simply confirms what they have always claimed - that in Israel they are second class citizens; the only difference now is that that inferior status - justified on ethnic and religious grounds - is enshrined in law.

Many Jewish Israelis are also angry claiming that the law is pushing Israel towards an extreme ethnic nationalism and away from the ideal of universal human values. They say it is an unapologetic move towards the establishment of an "apartheid state".


Image: Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the bill as a 'pivotal moment'

Arab Israelis make up a sizeable minority out of the country's population of nine million people.

They are descendants of the indigenous Arab population who stayed put during Israel's violent creation in 1948.

But the bill states that Hebrew is the only official language of the state, demoting the status of Arabic.

It also says the state places "national value" on Jewish settlement.

However, far from being discriminatory, supporters of the bill claim it is largely symbolic and simply states the obvious.

Israel was established as a refuge and a homeland for the Jewish people - the bill merely codifies that reality.

It does not restrict individual rights, they argue, or create special privileges for Jews.

It is of course too early to say what the new law will ultimately mean - only history will have that privilege.