system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
EIL5: Why does the US protect/spend funds on Israel

What gains do we receive from defending israel, also a backstory on why their is fighting between palestine/israel.
gpt
A variety of reasons:

* After the fall of the Shah in Iran, the US was looking for another strong ally in the Middle East. Israel, as a more "Western" country, was an obvious choice to play the role of a regional "police force." 

* Israel has occasionally provided aid to the US, as both a reliable voting partner and military ally *outside* of the Middle East. In the 80's, Israel's actions in Central America and Africa helped accomplish what the US couldn't politically. 

* There are strong economic ties between the US and Israel, particularly in the IT and security sectors. 

* There's also what is sometimes called the "Israel Lobby". Lobbyist groups (some Jewish, some Israeli-American, some Zionist Christian, etc) pressure politicians and media to supporting Israel, virtually without questioning their policies (a dangerous position to take with *any* country). Arguably, their influence is beginning to fade, at least as far as public opinion goes. A greater percentage of young Jewish Americans are starting to question Israel's policies, for examples. But support for Israel is still quite high among politicians and many businesses for the reasons above.