Before Israel's founding, Arab nationalism and Islamism rejected European-drawn borders, envisioning a unified Arab or Muslim nation rather than a distinct Palestinian state. As Lebanese-Iraqi scholar Hussain Abdul-Hussain argues in his new book, The Arab Case for Israel, Palestinian national identity as it exists today emerged only in 1964, shaped by inter-Arab rivalries rather than deep historical roots. The Palestinian narrative of a "lost state" reflects not a recoverable past but an aspiration for a Middle East without Israel — one that risks producing yet another failing state in a region already scarred by instability in Syria and Iraq. Yet the current moment presents a rare opening for a more pragmatic regional order. U.S. pressure on Iran's nuclear program and Israel's campaign against Hezbollah have placed Tehran's axis of destabilization under unprecedented strain, forcing Arab states to reconsider long-held assumptions. The Abraham Accords have already demonstrated that normalization with Israel yields concrete economic and security dividends. As Iran's influence recedes, Arab leaders who privately favor coexistence must find the courage to say so publicly.