ABSTRACT
The Arab-Israeli conflict cannot be separated from America's foreign policy. Actions in the Middle East have immense consequences for our other policies and interests in the world. The core of all challenges in the Middle East remains the underlying Arab-Israeli conflict. The notion that the greater Middle East would be a "placid lake" were it not for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can only be regarded as extreme, even for someone in the grip of "linkage" fever. It is often said that Arab leaders never miss an opportunity to browbeat American officials over US neglect of the Palestinians. In former Nebraska senator Chuck Hagel's meetings with King Abdullah in 2004 and 2005, he heard little about the Palestinians, and a lot about the "Shi'ite crescent" and a possible Iranian takeover of southern Iraq. King Abdullah "highlighted his view that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is the key issue facing Jordan and the region".
