WI: U.S. stays "neutral" in Israeli-Arab conflict?

With all of this Israel talk lately, I figured this could be interesting. Before the mid-1960s, the United States was relatively "neutral" in the conflict between Israel and its neighbors, with many in the Arab world viewing the U.S. as, if nothing else, at least "fair" in dealing with both sides (As per Wiki). Is it possible to keep the United States from obviously choosing a side in the conflict with a P.O.D. of 1947? What effects would this have on the modern middle east?

(I realize that this can be an extremely passionate/touchy subject, so let's try to stay civil)
 
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d32123

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I think this is relatively implausible.

The United States's religious makeup will mean that we will support Israel unless it goes Communist (not out of the question) in which case we wouldn't be neutral, we'd support the Arabs.
 
With all of this Israel talk lately, I figured this could be interesting. Before the mid-1960s, the United States was relatively "neutral" in the conflict between Israel and its neighbors, with many in the Arab world viewing the U.S. as, if nothing else, at least "fair" in dealing with both sides (As per Wiki). Is it possible to keep the United States from obviously choosing a side in the conflict with a P.O.D. of 1947? What effects would this have on the modern middle east?

(I realize that this can be an extremely passionate/touchy subject, so let's try to stay civil)

U.S. recognition was a key factor in 1948. OT1H, Secretary Marshall and the Arabists in the State Department were opposed. OTOH popular opinion in the US was overwhelmingly pro-Zionist. Something like thirty state legislatures passed pro-Zionist resolutions.

A different President might change things.

President Truman had to listen to the State Department, but he also listened to Eddie Jacobson, who had been his partner in the failed haberdashery store in Kansas City and was one of his oldest friends. Jacobson came to Truman in 1947, and said "In all these years I've never asked you for anything. Now I'm asking you to meet with Chaim Weizman."

With Jimmy Byrnes as President, things could be very different.

Another factor, later on, is Soviet support of the Arabs. When Communism attacked Zionism, Zionism became a lot more respectable with conservatives and Republicans. Nixon soon began to use it as a wedge issue. If Republicans were pro-Israel, Democrats had to be.

But if the USSR doesn't pick sides, the US probably doesn't either.
 
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