JERUSALEM, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Israel passed on Thursday a bill that defines the country as an "exclusively Jewish state," in a move denounced by its Arab citizens and human rights groups.

The law, supported by the right-wing government, passed by a vote of 62 in favor while 55 against after discussions that lasted until the early morning hours.

After the vote, several Arab lawmakers shouted "apartheid" during a speech of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ripped up papers of the law.

"This is a defining moment in the annals of Zionism and the history of the state of Israel," Netanyahu told the parliament.

The law states that only Jews have the right of self-determination in Israel. "Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people and they have an exclusive right of national self-determination," the law reads.

The law also revokes Arabic of its status as an official language alongside Hebrew.

Israel's Arabs comprise about 20 percent of Israel's 9 million population.

Adalah, a legal center for the Arab minority in Israel, denounced the law.

The General Director of Adalah, Hassan Jabareen, said in a statement that the law "features key elements of apartheid, which is not only immoral but also absolutely prohibited under international law."

According to Jabareen, "by defining sovereignty and democratic self-rule as belonging solely to the Jewish people, Israel has made discrimination in a constitutional value and has professed its commitment to favoring Jewish supremacy."