When Dr. Ibrahim al-Muhanna, senior advisor to Saudi Arabia’s minister of petroleum and mineral resources, addressed London’s Reform Club in February, he said that because America’s presence in the Middle East is critical for Israel, the US will continue to be interested in regional developments that affect Israel, either directly or indirectly.
“Israel has great interest in all developments in the region, and as a consequence, so does Washington,” he said.
Harvard University political scientist Joseph Nye also sees Israel as a reason for continued US engagement in the Middle East.
