Trump: We’re staying in Mideast to back Israel

Trump cited Israel as one of the main reasons the U.S. is in the Middle East. 

By World Israel News Staff

President Donald Trump says that one of the reasons the U.S. is in the Middle East is to help Israel, in an interview with The Washington Post on Tuesday.

Responding to a question concerning U.S.-Saudi relations after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Trump said, “It’s very important to have Saudi Arabia as an ally, if we’re going to stay in that part of the world. Now, are we going to stay in that part of the world? One reason to is Israel.”

Trump suggested that America’s presence in the Mideast may eventually boil down to standing by its ally. “Oil is becoming less and less of a reason because we’re producing more oil now than we’ve ever produced. So, you know, all of a sudden it gets to a point where you don’t have to stay there,” he said.

Last week, the White House released a statement in support of Saudi Arabia, saying the country’s importance to the U.S. and Israel “in our very important fight against Iran.”

“The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia to ensure the interests of our country, Israel and all other partners in the region,” the Tuesday, Nov. 20, statement read.