India and the United States share the goal of preventing the spread of the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Middle East, said a senior State Department official, on Thursday (Nov 2). Washington also noted that the Israel-Hamas war would be an important topic of discussion during the 2+2 ministerial meeting in New Delhi next week.&nbsp;

This comes ahead of Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s visit to the Indian capital for the 2+2 ministerial dialogue to meet Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, among other officials to discuss the “global concerns and developments in the Indo-Pacific,” the state department had said previously.

<h2>Blinken’s visit to India and conflict in Middle East</h2>

Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu told reporters that the 2+2 dialogue will be a key part of Blinken’s trip to Asia. He also said that the ministers will discuss the conflict between Israel and Hamas as well as the war in Ukraine.&nbsp;

Washington’s top diplomat is expected to reach Israel on Friday following which he will travel to Jordan and South Korea before arriving in India on November 10 for the ministerial dialogue.&nbsp;

“On Israel-Hamas, the Indian Government was direct in its condemnation of the Hamas terrorist attack and has also joined a chorus of nations, including the United States, that have called for sustained humanitarian access to Gaza,” said Lu.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/china-to-be-focus-blinken-austin-to-meet-jaishankar-rajnath-in-delhi-next-week-654125">China to be focus? Blinken, Austin to meet Jaishankar, Rajnath in Delhi next week</a>

He added, “With India, we share the goals of preventing this conflict from spreading, preserving stability in the Middle East, and advancing a two-state solution.”

This comes amid fears that Israel’s war with Hamas could expand and involve other militant groups and countries in the region. Notably, there has been a rise in attacks on Israeli forces by the Lebanon-based Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Hezbollah said it mounted multiple strikes on Israeli army positions including its first using explosive drones. Israel has since retaliated with air strikes on southern Lebanon in a sharp escalation of violence, on Thursday (Nov 2).

<h2>Where do India and the US stand on Israel-Hamas war?</h2>

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quick to condemn Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7 and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/people-of-india-stand-by-israel-pm-modi-tells-netanyahu-in-call-644906">expressed solidarity</a> with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu.&nbsp;

As the war progressed, New Delhi also sent humanitarian aid to Gaza and recently called for a two-state solution for Israel-Palestine&nbsp;at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).&nbsp;

The UN General Assembly <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/un-adopts-resolution-calling-for-humanitarian-truce-between-israel-and-hamas-heres-what-happened-652178">recently adopted</a> the Jordanian resolution which called for a humanitarian truce amid the war.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/it-is-time-israel-urges-india-to-designate-hamas-as-terrorist-organisation-651337">'It is time...': Israel urges India to designate Hamas a terrorist organisation</a>

However, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/india-abstains-from-jordanian-led-unga-resolution-vote-that-didnt-mention-hamas-652157">India had abstained</a> from voting on the resolution and instead favoured the Canadian-led draft which called for humanitarian pauses and condemned Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel.&nbsp;

The US, which has backed Israel amid the war, has recently supported the idea of “humanitarian pauses” in fighting. “A humanitarian pause…is temporary, localized and focused,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

“Focused on a particular objective or objectives, humanitarian aid in, people out,” he added.

(With inputs from agencies)

India and the United States share the goal of preventing the spread of the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Middle East, said a senior State Department official, on Thursday (Nov 2).

India and the United States share the goal of preventing the spread of the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Middle East, said a senior State Department official, on Thursday (Nov 2). Washington also noted that the Israel-Hamas war would be an important topic of discussion during the 2+2 ministerial meeting in New Delhi next week. This comes ahead of Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s visit to the Indian capital for the 2+2 ministerial dialogue to meet Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, among other officials to discuss the “global concerns and developments in the Indo-Pacific,” the state department had said previously. Blinken’s visit to India and conflict in Middle East Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu told reporters that the 2+2 dialogue will be a key part of Blinken’s trip to Asia. He also said that the ministers will discuss the conflict between Israel and Hamas as well as the war in Ukraine. Washington’s top diplomat is expected to reach Israel on Friday following which he will travel to Jordan and South Korea before arriving in India on November 10 for the ministerial dialogue. “On Israel-Hamas, the Indian Government was direct in its condemnation of the Hamas terrorist attack and has also joined a chorus of nations, including the United States, that have called for sustained humanitarian access to Gaza,” said Lu. ALSO READ | China to be focus? Blinken, Austin to meet Jaishankar, Rajnath in Delhi next week He added, “With India, we share the goals of preventing this conflict from spreading, preserving stability in the Middle East, and advancing a two-state solution.” This comes amid fears that Israel’s war with Hamas could expand and involve other militant groups and countries in the region. Notably, there has been a rise in attacks on Israeli forces by the Lebanon-based Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Hezbollah said it mounted multiple strikes on Israeli army positions including its first using explosive drones. Israel has since retaliated with air strikes on southern Lebanon in a sharp escalation of violence, on Thursday (Nov 2). Where do India and the US stand on Israel-Hamas war? Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quick to condemn Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7 and expressed solidarity with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. As the war progressed, New Delhi also sent humanitarian aid to Gaza and recently called for a two-state solution for Israel-Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The UN General Assembly recently adopted the Jordanian resolution which called for a humanitarian truce amid the war. ALSO READ | 'It is time...': Israel urges India to designate Hamas a terrorist organisation However, India had abstained from voting on the resolution and instead favoured the Canadian-led draft which called for humanitarian pauses and condemned Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel. The US, which has backed Israel amid the war, has recently supported the idea of “humanitarian pauses” in fighting. “A humanitarian pause…is temporary, localized and focused,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. “Focused on a particular objective or objectives, humanitarian aid in, people out,” he added. (With inputs from agencies)

India and US share goal of preventing spread of conflict in Middle East: State department

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday, at the end of the two-day meeting of foreign ministers of the world's seven wealthiest democracies or&nbsp;G7, said the group is clear-eyed about its approach in dealing with China.&nbsp;The meeting took place in the western German town of Muenster and the main talking point remained China's aggressive global posturing.&nbsp;

"In our discussions here, we're also clear eyed about the need to align our approach to the PRC (People's Republic of China) in the face of growing coercion, and push back together against Beijing's market-distorting policies and practices, which hurt workers and industries in all of our countries," said Blinken while talking to reporters.&nbsp;

While Blinken talked about a clear-eyed approach, the grouping stopped short of making a reference to a common goal.

However, experts believe that the optics of G7 and Blinken's statement were&nbsp;somewhat diluted as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was visiting China on a one-day trip to meet Xi Jinping. This was the first trip from a G7 leader to China after the 20th CPC Congress where Xi secured a third term for himself as the party general secretary.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/germany-chancellor-olaf-scholz-holds-talks-with-xi-jinping-hopes-china-persuades-russia-to-end-war-531173">WATCH | Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz holds talks with Xi Jinping, hopes China persuades Russia to end war</a>

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Moreover, Blinken's statement comes in the backdrop of&nbsp;Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi lashing out at him during the duo's phone call last week.&nbsp;

“The US side should stop its containment and suppression of China and not create new obstacles to bilateral relations,” read the statement released by Beijing's foreign ministry.&nbsp;

The Chinese minister also took a shot at the US for its recent strategy of curbing the export of semiconductors to China.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-foreign-minister-lashes-out-at-blinken-during-a-phone-call-529868">Read more:&nbsp;Chinese foreign minister lashes out at Blinken during a phone call</a>

“The US side introduced new export controls against China, restricting investments in China, seriously violating free-trade principles and seriously harming China’s legitimate rights and interests, which must be corrected.”

Meanwhile, Blinken took to Twitter to inform about the phone call. However, he stopped short of mentioning the criticism levelled by the Chinese side.&nbsp;

“The US side introduced new export controls against China, restricting investments in China, seriously violating free-trade principles and seriously harming China’s legitimate rights and interests, which must be corrected," tweeted Blinken.

(With inputs from agencies) 
 
WATCH WION LIVE HERE:&nbsp;

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday, at the end of the two-day meeting of foreign ministers of the world's seven wealthiest democracies or G7, said the group is clear-eyed about its approach in dealing with China.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday, at the end of the two-day meeting of foreign ministers of the world's seven wealthiest democracies or G7, said the group is clear-eyed about its approach in dealing with China. The meeting took place in the western German town of Muenster and the main talking point remained China's aggressive global posturing. "In our discussions here, we're also clear eyed about the need to align our approach to the PRC (People's Republic of China) in the face of growing coercion, and push back together against Beijing's market-distorting policies and practices, which hurt workers and industries in all of our countries," said Blinken while talking to reporters. While Blinken talked about a clear-eyed approach, the grouping stopped short of making a reference to a common goal. However, experts believe that the optics of G7 and Blinken's statement were somewhat diluted as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was visiting China on a one-day trip to meet Xi Jinping. This was the first trip from a G7 leader to China after the 20th CPC Congress where Xi secured a third term for himself as the party general secretary. WATCH | Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz holds talks with Xi Jinping, hopes China persuades Russia to end war × Moreover, Blinken's statement comes in the backdrop of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi lashing out at him during the duo's phone call last week. “The US side should stop its containment and suppression of China and not create new obstacles to bilateral relations,” read the statement released by Beijing's foreign ministry. The Chinese minister also took a shot at the US for its recent strategy of curbing the export of semiconductors to China. Read more: Chinese foreign minister lashes out at Blinken during a phone call “The US side introduced new export controls against China, restricting investments in China, seriously violating free-trade principles and seriously harming China’s legitimate rights and interests, which must be corrected.” Meanwhile, Blinken took to Twitter to inform about the phone call. However, he stopped short of mentioning the criticism levelled by the Chinese side. “The US side introduced new export controls against China, restricting investments in China, seriously violating free-trade principles and seriously harming China’s legitimate rights and interests, which must be corrected," tweeted Blinken. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

‘G7 clear-eyed about need to align on China,’ says Blinken after foreign ministers’ meet

Western leaders are stepping up pressure on Moscow ahead of the security talks with Russia. The top American diplomat Antony Blinken has said that the upcoming dialogue will not succeed so long as a gun is pointed towards Ukraine's head.

Antony Blinken: No progress with a gun to Ukraine's head