Indeed, if oil were truly America’s only or paramount interest in the Middle East, its special relationship with Israel would be mystifying, given the harm that it implies for US interests among Arab oil exporters. Even when its energy dependence on the Middle East was at its peak, the US rarely altered its policy of support for Israel.
事实上，如果石油真是美国在中东的唯一重要利益，则其与以色列的特殊关系就无法解释了，因为这有害于美国与阿拉伯石油出口国的关系。即使其对中东能源的依赖已经过了顶峰期，美国也不会改变支持以色列的政策。