The first thing to recognize is that the situation in the middle-east is a mess. That's not to say we've done anything to cause that, it just happened naturally, as a result of oppressive regimes and weak economies and radical militant Islamists.
I believe the dangers of this "mess" would reach Israel far before it would touch America. Yes, we must be vigilant about Americans who have become radicalized Muslims, but the Israelis face much more danger.
Over the years Israel and its neighboring countries have refused to broker a real lasting peace deal. This lack of leadership has let the situation grow worse. Now, those opposed to any kind of peace are having their say.
Is there any chance this can be turned to some advantage?
Could we use statecraft to nudge those middle-east powers to find some kind of consensus about arrangement of power to exclude the radicals? Could we show them it requires peace with Israel, not just in small ways, but a real normalization of national relations?
We might have to oppose ISIS/ISIL, but that has yet to be proven. Until then we should use the situation to our advantage to push Middle-Eastern nations to do something truly productive for the long-run.
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