The European Union on Thursday said it was concerned about a new Israeli law which declares that only Jews have the right of national self- determination, and said it would complicate a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Largely symbolic, the new Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People stipulates that "Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people and they have an exclusive right to national self-determination in it."
It further cements the status of state symbols and Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the State of Israel, and strips Arabic of its designation as an official language alongside Hebrew, instead awarding it a "special status" that enables its continued use in Israeli institutions.
The law also sets "the development of Jewish settlements nationwide as a national priority."
The law, which passed after months of political argument, was sharply criticized by the country's Arab minority, with Arab lawmakers calling it "racist" and "verging on apartheid."
Israel's Arabs number some 1.8 million, about 20% of the population.
"We are concerned, we have expressed this concern and we will continue to engage with Israeli authorities in this context," a spokeswoman for EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini told reporters Thursday.
"We've been very clear when it comes to the two-state solution, we believe it is the only way forward and any step that would further complicate or prevent this solution of becoming a reality should be avoided," she said.
Turkey, a former ally of Israel, leveled scathing criticism at the Israeli government over the law.
"Identifying the right to self-determination as a right given only to Jews is the result of an outdated and discriminatory mentality," Ankara's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office called on the international community "to react to this injustice happening in front of the entire world's eyes."
Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin criticized what he called "this racist move that amounts to erasing the Palestinian people from their homeland physically and legally."
In a series of tweets, Kalin also repeated Ankara's long-standing objections to the construction of Jewish settlements on what it called "occupied territory."
"We reject the Israeli government's efforts to form an apartheid state," he said.
Turkey and Israel, former allies, expelled each other's top diplomats in May during a row over clashes when dozens of Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces during mass riots on the Israel-Gaza Strip border. The move did not affect the two countries' trade ties.
