Israel's cabinet has approved new legislation which will set in law Israel's status as the nation-state of the Jewish people.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has put the proposal forward along with other right-wing supporters.
"But only the Jewish People have national rights: A flag, anthem, the right of every Jew to immigrate to the country, and other national symbols. These are granted only to our people, in its one and only state."
Critics of the legislation argue the law could inflame tensions with Arab Israelis and Palestinians and potentially shake up the ruling coalition government.
Arabs make up about 20 percent of Israel's population.
The new bill calls for recognizing Israel's Jewish character, institutionalizing Jewish law as an inspiration for legislation and delisting Arabic as an official language.
A final wording of the bill is still pending.
It will be brought to parliament for preliminary ratification on Wednesday.
