Quote Originally Posted by bourbon View Post
Would understanding the thinking in the above quote shed light on what would appear to be a preference of Israel and her supporters in the US, for Islamists of varying militancy over secular nationalist governments?

This is if someone were sincerely perplexed by this perceived preference and pattern, and struggled to understand why.
The US does have a preference for Israel, in the same way the US has had a preference for the UK over other European nations. Understanding why this is the case is a useful exercise.

How much of this was under Persian rule?

Didn't Cyrus the Great free the Jews from Babylonian Captivity, and helped to rebuild the Temple? History shows that Iran and Israel are natural ally, geography further shapes both nations strategic thinking, how much is this going to drive Iran's actions?
All true. (not sure about the help with the 2nd temple- let me check! I just don't want the thing rebuilt any time soon!) Huge and very wealthy Jewish community in Persia, who have historically been safe, but I fear there are things afoot that trump that historical paradigm.