So that's kind of an over simplification of the story.
Back around the founding of this country the Turkish / Ottoman empire controlled most of what we think of as "the middle east".
The main threat came from the Muslim rulers in North Africa who were brutal evil savages dedicated to piracy and slavery and invading other countries.
Eventually we had enough and did the whole world a favour and built a navy and went over and curb stomped their evil asses for good. Then we kind of over the century after that made sure they never became a major threat again.
Move to WWI and the British (who caused like half the problems in the world today) were fighting the Ottoman Empire and decided to use religious radicals as their weapon of choice to help destabilize their enemy. And when they won the British paid off their religious fanatics with giving them their own little kingdoms to rule over, BUT carefully drawing map lines to MAKE SURE there would never be peace and there would always be war and strife.. why? Typical British and older Empire type stuff, keep the locals at war with their neighbors so they can't bother the Empire.
For various reasons, the British government promised the Jewish community "Palestine" as their homeland and reward and such. But didn't exactly mention that fact to the local outcast that were living there, a mix of Christians, muslims, and various other vagabonds that were kicked out of all the other muslim lands (that's why no muslim country actually wants to take in any of those "refugees").
About that time Britain realized oil was going to be the new world power source to drive industry and military might.
And well all those muslim extremists they didn't actually care anything about were sitting on all that oil.
So the British government started making friendly with the muslim extremists and backstabbing the jews and pretty much almost making a secret deal with the muslims to let them wipe out the jews.
The British started being downright evil and awful to the Jewish people in Palestine and well the Jews just got done with most of Europe (don't blame it all on Hitler, most of Europe was more than happy to go along with it), trying to genocide them, so they weren't having any of that stuff.
Essentially it played out very much like the IRA in Ireland vs the British.
Eventually the British had enough of it, and decided to tell the Arabs that they were going to make sure the jews didn't have any weapons (like death penalty offence type oppression), but were going to turn a blind eye to the arabs stocking up and then as soon as the british pulled out the arabs were free to go do Hitler stuff to the jews.
Jews weren't fools, they knew what was coming, and many risked their lives and some died for the cause of arming their brethren.
Jews from America played a big role in that despite being under threat of imprisonment for helping and such, by our own government.
Zero day came and the battle was on and the British and the rest of the world was pretty surprised when they found out the Jews were willing to fight like the stories in the Old Testament for their land and their freedom and their lives. The paper tigers that were the "great arab powers" were quickly exposed for what they were, corrupt paper tigers that really didn't want to risk much or die for other muslims.
The local type that thought the Arab armies were going to come help them genocide the jews suddenly found themselves alone facing folks they had just said they were going to try to genocide and well things didn't go great for them... but to be fair, they were treated a whole lot better than what they were planning to do to the Jews.
It was after all this during the next wars when the "great arab powers" were feeling butt hurt about being humiliated and decided to make another couple attempts at genociding the Jews that the the USA got officially involved in helping Israel.
The crazy religious zealots that now rule the "middle east" never ever were our "friends".
They always hated us, but need the money we give them and the expertise and knowledge we sell them in order to have nice comfortable lives in palaces with air conditioning and fancy cars and cool toy weapons, otherwise they would be back to living in tents on the sand or in mud houses.
Now in being fair, the "other side" of this story also actually hates the USA and Christians and such, but is also "friends" for their own purposes and reasons (which if you want to read, just go listen to the backyard barbecue talk one of their PMs had).
Both sides hate the USA, both sides HATE Christians passionately (including actually the large christian population that comprises a big part of the "Palestinian refugees").
Pretty much all the "Palestinian refugees" are just pawns that nobody likes, nobody wants but everybody likes to use as disposable showpieces.
Try suggesting to Saudi Arabia that will all that nice empty desert and billions of spare dollars, why don't they take all of those "poor Palestinians" in...
There hasn't been peace in the middle east since the start of humans there and there won't be peace there until humans are no longer in charge.
www.zerohedge.com
www.jpost.com
www.thegatewaypundit.com
