MK Zeev Elkin, initiator of the "Jewish state" bill. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Reacting to the Israeli cabinet’s approval of the “Jewish state” bill, which formalizes Israel’s status as the national home of the Jewish people, U.S. State Department spokesman Jeffrey Rathke said Monday, “We would expect any final legislation to continue Israel’s commitment to democratic principles.”

In response to the American expression of concern, the bill’s initiator, MK Zeev Elkin (Likud), said Israel “can preserve the principles of democracy just fine without the help of our partners from across the ocean.”

Similarly, Israeli Economy Minister Naftali Bennett told Army Radio, “I say to the Americans: We will handle the affairs of the state of Israel ourselves.”

“We need to deal with the implications of what kind of state we want to have,” Bennett said. “In the end it will only be our problem. It is an internal issue and I don’t think anyone has a right to intervene.”