Please don't post in the flamewar style to HN, and especially not to this thread. It's against the site guidelines (https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html) and strongly against the intended spirit that I tried to describe in the comment that's pinned to the top.
I don't think the situation is particularly inscrutable. Israel receives a greater degree of US support and benefits from it to a greater degree. Other ME states are aligned with the US out of convenience, the sale of western weapons plays a part in that.
Please don't post in the flamewar style to HN, and especially not to this thread. It's against the site guidelines (https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html) and strongly against the intended spirit that I tried to describe in the comment that's pinned to the top.
Apologies, I didn't intend the comment to come across that way, it was too flippant given the topic.
This doesn't track because the USA has bases all around the ME, and supplies Israel's "competition" like KSA and Egypt with arms.
It is much more complicated.
I don't think the situation is particularly inscrutable. Israel receives a greater degree of US support and benefits from it to a greater degree. Other ME states are aligned with the US out of convenience, the sale of western weapons plays a part in that.