[quote=6packscaredy]Personally I’m more of a diaspora guy. Israel scares me. Just looks on the map like a good spot for a us base.[/quote]

I do agree geopolitically there is a benefit. Although the key here is still the fact that Israel is a Jewish state. As America is a Christian state, within the intra-Abrahamic struggle for dominance, who controls the holy land does matter greatly. I think this religious alliance is far stronger a tie than even the cold war/capitalist vs communist alliances.