US boosts diplomatic response to Israeli-Palestinian violence amid criticism Biden MIA

The U.S. is boosting its diplomatic efforts to halt the violence between Israeli security forces and Hamas, but President Joe Biden still has not addressed the crisis.

After a spiraling descent into bloodshed in recent days, the U.S. is boosting its diplomatic efforts to halt the violence between Israeli security forces and Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group ruling Gaza. But President Joe Biden still has not addressed the growing crisis, and while the White House says he has been briefed daily on it, he has not made any calls -- sparking some criticism that he's been absent. The unprecedented barrage of rockets and deadly Israeli airstrikes have killed civilians caught in the crosshairs on both sides, while waves of Arab-Israeli clashes are now rising within Israel itself -- a new threat of violence that could quickly worsen. The Biden administration has consistently called on "both sides" to de-escalate, leading to criticism from American conservatives who accuse Biden of not standing strongly enough with Israel and from American progressives who say the power dynamic is asymmetrical and Israel's response has been disproportionate.