Other than oil, how did any of the middle east ever play into our interests? If you get the feds out of the way I think we could live without Saudi oil soon enough. Let the Russians have that brier patch. I feel sorry for the Israelis. They are in a bad situation that eventually will end badly for them and 50+ million Arabs.
US interest in the Middle East is pretty much a result of the Cold War and countering communism.
Even the power of America’s ‘Jewish Lobby’ has been mostly smoke and mirrors and actually a result of the Cold War.