Many are now suggesting that former President Barack Obama may have been behind the recent Israel-Hamas ceasefire proposal that was put forth by President Joe Biden. 

One of the things that has led to this speculation is a lengthy message that Obama posted to his X account on Friday.

Take a look:

Today, President Biden put forward a clear, realistic and just plan to establish an immediate ceasefire and end the war in Gaza - a plan that ensures Israel’s security, returns hostages taken on October 7th to their families, increases aid into Gaza and relieves the suffering of…

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 31, 2024

A "just plan"

Before getting too far into Obama's message, it is worth pointing out that he has received significant criticism for his stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict. This is because Obama, from the outset, has seemed to sympathize with the pro-Palestinian faction of his party.

In his message, Obama claimed that Biden's proposal is "clear, realistic, and just."

He wrote:

Today, President Biden put forward a clear, realistic, and just plan to establish an immediate ceasefire and end the war in Gaza - a plan that ensures Israel’s security, returns hostages taken on October 7th to their families, increases aid into Gaza, and relieves the suffering of Palestinian civilians, and engages Israelis, Palestinians, Arab countries and the broader international community in the process of rebuilding Gaza.

Fox News reports that critics of the ceasefire proposal have claimed that it is nothing more than a "repackaged Hamas proposal."

Obama, in the remainder of his message, attempted to draw some kind of equivalency between the suffering of the Israeli people and that of the Palestinian people. He claimed that, although the ceasefire proposal is not perfect, it could:

. . . put a stop to the ongoing bloodshed, help families reunite, and allow a surge of humanitarian aid to help desperate, hungry people. It can save lives, here and now - and it can lay the foundation for what will be a long and difficult road to a future in which Israel is secure and at peace with its neighbors, and Palestinians finally have the security, freedom, and self-determination that they have sought for so long.

"A non-starter"

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at first, suggested that he would not have anything to do with the ceasefire proposal - whether it comes from Biden or Obama.

Netanyahu's office, on Saturday, released a statement calling the proposal a "non-starter."

"Israel's conditions for ending the war have not changed: The destruction of Hamas military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages, and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel," the office wrote.

It added, "Under the proposal, Israel will continue to insist these conditions are met before a permanent ceasefire is put in place. The notion that Israel will agree to a permanent ceasefire before these conditions are fulfilled is a non-starter."

On Sunday, however, Netanyahu reluctantly accepted the proposal.