Why does the US support Israel?

I can't think of any advantages to the US supporting Israel, but I can think of a whole bunch of disadvantages.

We've had ties with them for a long time. They're another important base in the Middle East. Having ties with them allows us to balance out groups that are hostile to the U.S. such as Hamas from controlling the region. It's also worthy to note that one of our first free trade agreements was signed with Israel.

Besides perhaps the costs of military aid (which I agree should be reduced), I don't really see any reason for decreasing ties with Israel. We don't need to commit our full, unconditioned support in any situation to Israel (as we don't with any other nation), but Israel is an ally in a region with many countries that are or may become hostile to the US.