In Israel-Hamas war, there’s growing talk of a potential impact on oil prices

Gas prices of over $6.00 per gallon are displayed at a Shell station on Oct. 2 in Alhambra, California. If the Middle East turmoil causes a jump in fuel prices and strains family budgets even tighter, the president’s reelection prospects could take a serious hit, writes columnist Steven Roberts. (Frederic J. Brown/Getty)

As the violence in the Middle East escalates, attention has focused, and rightly so, on the devastating impact the conflict is having on innocent civilians across the region.

But another major issue hovers just below the surface — oil. More specifically, how a possible rise in oil prices could affect economics and politics around the globe, especially here in the United States.