Is Israel in the Middle East ?

Gosh, as far as I’m concerned and geographically speaking, it sure is. My husband is from Israel and claims it’s not the Middle East . He even has Arab roots but is Jewish. He is Syrian and Moroccan. I know there are a lot of negative connotations along with the “Middle East” or being “Middle Eastern” and maybe that’s why he feels this way? He gets upset when my mom says he has middle eastern ways of thinking....What do you guys think? Is Israel in the Middle East?