- Psaki said it's not the role of the US to "assess or analyze the politics on the ground in Israel."
- This came as Biden faces criticism from fellow Democrats over his unwavering support to Israel amid recent violence.
- The Biden admin. has also avoided explicitly calling for a ceasefire.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Monday said it's not the role of the US to "assess or analyze the politics on the ground in Israel" with regard to the recent violence in the region.
The US role is to be "as constructive as possible in de-escalating the violence, bringing an end to the conflict," Psaki added.
When asked why the US has refrained from calling for an ceasefire as the violence has escalated over the past week and more than 200 people - mostly in Gaza - have been killed, Psaki said, "Our approach is through quiet, intensive diplomacy and that's where we feel we can be most effective."
"Every single action we take, every statement we make is with the objective of reducing the violence and bringing an end to conflict on the ground," Psaki said. "There are times in diplomacy where we'll need to keep those conversations quieter, where we won't read out every component of it."
Top US officials like Secretary of State Antony Blinken have said the US is ready to help if Israel and Hamas seek a ceasefire, without explicitly calling for a cessation to hostilities.
President Joe Biden last week said Israel's airstrikes on Gaza, which have leveled residential buildings and killed dozens, did not appear to be a "significant overreaction."
More than two dozen Senate Democrats, led by Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff, signed a statement released Sunday that called for "an immediate ceasefire" in the Middle East to "prevent any further loss of civilian life and to prevent further escalation of conflict in Israel and the Palestinian territories."
The US has also been accused of blocking efforts in the United Nations Security Council to issue a statement condemning Israel's military actions and calling for a ceasefire.
The US government has consistently been a staunch ally of Israel, but Democratic lawmakers in recent years have called for a reassessment of the dynamic and more concern for the rights of Palestinians. Some Democrats have pushed for the US to consider limiting or conditioning the roughly $3.8 billion in military aid it provides to Israel per year. Along the campaign trail, Biden dismissed such proposals as "outrageous."
Israel has hammered Gaza with airstrikes over the past week as Hamas has fired thousands of rockets in its direction. The Israeli military has said that most rockets have been intercepted by its Iron Dome defense system.
Gaza doesn't have the same level of defenses, and there are no bomb shelters in the densely populated strip of land - home to roughly two million people.
At least 204 Palestinians have been killed as the fighting has intensified since last Monday, including 58 children and 34 women, according to Gaza's health ministry, per Reuters.
At least 10 people in Israel, including two children and a soldier, have also been killed.
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