Obama Discusses Peace Deal
If the Israel-Hamas peace deal holds, even for a matter of weeks, it may well go down as one of the more surprising and fragile diplomatic achievements in recent memory. The region has long been a crucible for ceasefires that dissolve under the weight of unresolved grievances and militant ambitions. Yet here we are—on the verge of something that, for now, resembles a pause in an otherwise relentless and devastating conflict.
And into that moment steps Barack Obama, a former president who has had no role in this deal, nor in any successful Middle East peace negotiation during or after his presidency. That didn’t stop him from weighing in with a characteristically lofty post on X, delivering sweeping sentiments about rebuilding Gaza, recognizing “common humanity,” and urging the world community to support peace.
After two years of unimaginable loss and suffering for Israeli families and the people of Gaza, we should all be encouraged and relieved that an end to the conflict is within sight; that those hostages still being held will be reunited with their families; and that vital aid can…
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 9, 2025
It sounds noble. Poetic, even. But let’s take a closer look.
The suffering in this war is not in dispute. Israeli families endured the terror of October 7th—the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust—and families in Gaza have faced their own staggering losses. However, Obama’s statement noticeably lacks one thing: context. There is no acknowledgment that Hamas started this war with an unprovoked, barbaric assault. There is no mention of the hostages. No mention of the tunnels dug beneath civilian homes. No mention of the use of schools and hospitals as shields.
In his formulation, peace is simply the product of goodwill and shared humanity, not of the dismantling of terror networks or the painful, strategic decisions required to secure stability. That omission isn’t just naïve—it’s intellectually dishonest.
Equally glaring is the erasure of the one figure whose fingerprints are all over the recent successes in Middle East diplomacy: Donald J. Trump. Through the Abraham Accords and strategic realignment in the region, Trump did what generations of presidents failed to do—forge real, functioning relationships between Israel and Arab nations. While he wasn’t at the table for this specific agreement, the groundwork was undeniably his.
That fact is never even alluded to in Obama’s statement. Instead, we get a lecture on human rights from a man who spent his presidency cautioning Israel at every turn and who once famously drew a red line in Syria, only to walk away. It’s not a stretch to say that his commentary is not just misplaced—it’s petty.