Arab solidarity has been an elusive ideal over the past century, frequently invoked but rarely actualized. The Arab world has long been fractured by internal rivalries, divergent political alignments and regional conflicts.

However, recent developments suggest a resurgence of Arab unity, driven not by a shared pan-Arab vision but by a common external challenge: Israel. In a striking historical parallel, the country that once divided the Arabs is now, through its policies and actions, bringing them together.

Arab solidarity once dominated regional politics, reaching its peak in the 1950s and 1960s under leaders like Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser, who championed unity against colonialism and Zionism. However, fractures emerged, culminating in Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s November 1977 visit to Jerusalem, which shattered the Arab consensus.

Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi convened an emergency Arab League summit the following month, wherein Algeria, Syria, Iraq, South Yemen and the Palestinian Liberation Organization formed the “Front of Steadfastness and Confrontation” to pressure Egypt. Instead, Egypt severed ties. Just 10 days later, Time magazine declared “Goodbye, Arab Solidarity,” marking the apparent collapse of a unified Arab front.

For decades after, the Palestinian cause lost its unifying force as Arab states prioritized national interests. The 1993 Oslo Accords and the 1994 Jordan-Israel Peace Treaty sidelined collective Arab strategy. The 2020 Abraham Accords expedited this trend, deepening divisions within the Arab world regarding engagement with Israel.

Yet the Palestinian issue never faded. Today, a new Arab solidarity is rising — not for war, but to counter Israeli policies that threaten regional stability, signaling a decisive shift in the Arab world’s strategic calculus.

The war in Gaza has proven to be a turning point. After more than a year of brutal conflict and over 46,000 casualties in Gaza, President Trump shocked the world with his

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