JERUSALEM, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli parliament passed on Wednesday a law to revoke the citizenship of Arab citizens of Israel who were convicted of "terrorism" and received funding from the Palestinian Authority while in prison.

The controversial law was approved by the parliament, or Knesset, with a large majority of 94 lawmakers voting in favor and 10 casting vetos.

The law gives Israel's interior minister the authority to revoke the citizenship or residency status of Israeli citizens if they were convicted of "terrorism," serving a prison sentence and received direct financial payment "for the act" from the Palestinian Authority.

Under the new law, a Jew's citizenship cannot be stripped even if he is convicted of terrorism against Arabs, considering the law applies only to convicted those who received stipends from the Palestinian Authority.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose ultranationalist government pledged to take a hardline against Palestinian attacks, hailed the move. "Our answer to terrorism is to hit it hard," he said in a statement.

Aida Touma-Sliman, a lawmaker with the Arab-Jewish Joint List party, condemned the law as "anti-democratic and racist." She tweeted the new law preserves "Jewish privileges" because it applies only to convicts receiving stipends from the Palestinian Authority, and therefore, it does not affect Jews convicted of terrorism against Arabs.

The Palestinian Authority has been providing stipends to Palestinian prisoners, saying these are welfare payments for families in need. Israel has been trying to stop these payments for years, charging they indirectly support attacks against Israelis.

Arab citizens of Israel, comprising about 20 percent of the country's 9.6 million population, are the descendants of Palestinians who stayed put during the 1948 war that led to the establishment of Israel.

They experience widespread discrimination in various areas, including education, healthcare and infrastructure. Enditem

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