Israel was a critical ally of the US during the Soviet Union communist rule. With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the collapse of communism, the value of Israel to the US became less, especially with the presence of other allies in the region such as Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Furthermore, with the political changes in the region and the opening up of politics for the public and with more political participation and the establishment of civil societies in the countries of the Middle East, Israel lost it's second edge which is democracy.

Israel and it's think tanks have realized this risk and worked hard to come up with a new enemy to the US in the region to keep the money and weapons flowing from the US.  The closest next enemy to the US in the region, after communism,  is Islam.  I have strong suspicion that Israel is the one who created the conflict between the US and the Muslims in the Middle East.  Simply said, without an enemy for the US in the region, Israel has no value to the US.

Historically, Muslims and Christians have lived together.  In fact the prophet Mohammed married a Christian lady.  In the Quran, there is a full chapter for Jesus and a full chapter for Mary.  The prophet when he was threatened by his own people took refuge at the Christian ruler of Ethiopia.  There are common factors between Islam and Christianity more than what is between Christianity and Judaism.  To mention a few , respect for marriage, family life, usury, and abortion.

Naturally, if the US has no enemies in the Middle East, Israel will have no value (except for orthodox Christians and Jews in the US which are a minority compared to mainstream Christians which are the majority).  Therefore, for Israel, to create an enemy for the US in the Middle East is a matter of life or death, is the blood of life for the survivor of Israel.  It is widely believed in the region that Israel's intelligence has penetrated Islamic radical groups and is a heavy participant in their internet websites dialogue.

With plain common sense and logic, one can conclude that Israel is the only beneficiary of the US (Christian) conflict with Islam.  Israel's nightmare is when there is mutual respect between Muslims and Christian US, the US will not feel the need to be represented in the region, which could mark the beginning of dwindling funds and weapons to Israel.

Hamad  S Alomar