President Biden has offered few public comments on escalating violence between Israel and Hamas. The White House says it is focused on diplomacy behind the scenes.

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

We now turn to the White House, where President Biden's public response to the conflict between Gaza and Israel has been notably restrained. He has, however, sent Mideast envoy Hady Amr to Israel to help try and bring down the temperature in a volatile situation.

NPR White House correspondent Scott Detrow joins us. Scott, thanks for being here.

SCOTT DETROW, BYLINE: Good morning, Scott.

SIMON: This conflict has demanded the attention of many U.S. presidents. Why have we not heard more publicly from President Biden?

DETROW: Well, the White House says this is deliberate and that the administration is focusing its efforts on behind-the-scenes diplomacy. I talked to a White House official about this who said it's a complicated situation. Things are changing very quickly. And the White House just wants to be very cautious about what it does and does not weigh in on. That is, obviously, among many other things the Biden administration is doing, a very drastic shift from how the last administration approached things.

Ilan Goldenberg played a big role in Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy during the Obama administration. He said it is good for a president to address this all in public. It shows it's a priority for the U.S. But at the same time, he said...

ILAN GOLDENBERG: Having the presidents or other senior officials weighing in relentlessly and constantly publicly starts to diminish that because we can't actually follow it up with the kind of decisive action that ultimately ends the conflict.

DETROW: And Goldenberg said the U.S. does have an important role here. But it's not the central role. It's more of a mediator. And, of course, more broadly, President Biden has tried to deemphasize the American foreign policy focus on the Middle East. And he's really centering his foreign policy around competing with China and on areas that improve economic conditions for middle-class Americans.

SIMON: As we've noted, Scott, there is a State Department envoy in the Middle East now who is speaking with both Israeli and Palestinian leaders. What else has the administration been doing?

DETROW: It seems like a lot of phone calls, a lot of officials spending a lot of time on the phone. And the White House is emphasizing how much it's talking to countries like Egypt, Jordan and Qatar, places, it says, where officials have influence with Hamas militants who are firing rockets into Israeli cities. I asked an official whether any of this has helped, if they can point to a specific example where the White House has eased tensions. They said that they believe they've played a role in easing tensions in the margins in some places. One example would be encouraging Israeli officials to delay a court ruling on whether Palestinians can be evicted from homes in Jerusalem, which is a contentious issue that did play a role in the beginning of tensions here.

SIMON: To return for a moment to what we're seeing in public, what's the response been to what the president has said on the record?

DETROW: You know, on one hand, Biden has been criticized by some former Trump officials saying he's not been quick enough to stand with Israel. But there has been also loud outcry from progressive corners, including many members of the House, who are frustrated with how often Biden has emphasized Israel's right to defend itself rather than the toll that Israeli airstrikes and mortar attacks are having in Gaza.

Here's Biden earlier this week talking about those Israeli strikes.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: There has not been a significant overreaction.

DETROW: The White House is disputing this criticism and arguing it's regularly decrying any violence that harms and kills any civilians. But I did note that Friday afternoon, in a statement celebrating the Muslim holiday of Eid, President Biden did make a point specifically to say, and here's the quote from it, "Palestinians - including in Gaza - and Israelis equally deserve to live in dignity, safety and security." And that, "no family should have to fear their safety within their own home or place of worship." So the president making a point to say that Palestinians deserve security and safety as well.

SIMON: NPR White House correspondent Scott Detrow, thanks so much.

DETROW: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.