What advantages does Israel present America?

i wont pretend to be an expert, but i can't really think of any.  Israel seems like a huge liability to the US.  That's not to say other countries are necessarily better, but at least they bring something to the table.  The discovery of the next energy revolution, for example, will probably be discoverered in part due to Saudi Arabian oil.

Meanwhile, the next mid-east conflict will probably involve Israel somehow.

Israel is an ally in a region of the world that generally hates us.  At the very least they serve as a platform for US from which to conduct military actions.