An astute friend recently observed that today’s crisis in the Middle East boils down to one question about two dates: Which historic moment is more likely to be reversed: 1948 or 1979?

The dates are references to the creation of the state of Israel and, 31 years later, the Iranian revolution. The implication of the question is that it’s one or the other: the Jewish state and the Islamic republic cannot permanently coexist, at least so long as the latter seeks to destroy the former. Recent days have brought two potential vehicles for their downfall into focus.