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

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)