…ould not have occupied Palestine the way it has. So why has the US supported Israel the way it has? Well, oil. You see, during the Cold War, the US had no way of influencing the Middle East and ensuring it had access to its vast oil reserves. But by supporting Israel and helping to create a US-allied state, they can ensure oil from this region would keep flowing westward, propping up the US economy with affordable energy. This was explained as the US ‘helping to stabilise the Middle East’, though in true US style, this was done through arming Israel with atom bombs, military pressure and flat-out threats.