Antony Blinken hails PM Modi at World Economic Forum 2024, says his policies are very beneficial to people

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described India as an “extraordinary success story”, saying the policies and programmes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been very beneficial to the people of India. Speaking at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2024, on Wednesday, Blinken further said US President Joe Biden and PM Modi enjoy excellent relations and their conversations cover all aspects, including US-India relations. Praising the expansion of bilateral ties between India and the US, Blinken said both the countries are always in constant conversations and those cover all aspects, including on democracy and fundamental rights. “It’s part of very sustained and very real conversation we have always had,” he said. Blinken was responding to a question on whether the rise of Hindu nationalism concerns India despite the country’s robust economic growth and infrastructure building under the PM Modi regime. Israel-Hamas war Speaking about the US’ efforts to reduce Palestinian causalities and increase humanitarian aid to Gaza, Blinken said, “But that in no way, shape, or form takes away from the tragedy we have seen and continue to see. All I can tell you on a purely human level, it is devastating, but it reinforces the conviction to do everything we can in this moment to try and make a difference in the day and day out” as well as to arrive at a larger resolution for Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians the Middle East." Blinken called on Israel to help rather than hinder the Palestinian Authority, saying Israel’s long-term security was at stake. He renewed his call for a “pathway to a Palestinian state” even as Washington backs Israel’s Gaza campaign launched in response to the 7 October Hamas attack. “You’re not going to get the genuine security you need absent that. And, of course, to that end as well, a stronger, reformed Palestinian Authority that can more effectively deliver for its own people has to be part of the equation,” Blinken said. An effective Palestinian Authority can only operate “with the support, with the help, of Israel, not with its active opposition,” Blinken said. “Even the most effective Authority is going to have a lot of trouble if it’s got the active opposition of any Israeli government,” he said. The Biden administration has backed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s call to eradicate Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, but has called for the Palestinian Authority gradually to take over control in the Gaza Strip. With inputs from agencies