No change in US policy on Palestine

A senior member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's (PIJ) political bureau has claimed that the US policy on Palestine has not changed. Nafez Azzam told Arab Today that US Secretary of State John Kerry's recent visit to the region was a failure because "the US couldn't force Israel to change its policies towards the Palestinians." Azzam argued that American official was trying to put pressure on the Palestinian to accept their fate. The Islamist politician urged the Palestinian authorities in Ramallah not to cave in to US pressure of peace talks. Commenting on his group's relation with Gaza-based Hamas, Azzam said that his movement seeks "good and stable relations" with the Islamic Resistance Movement. He did, however, states that talks about potential political integration between the two groups had not taken place, emphasising that he believes in integration with Hamas under the ambit of national and Islamic unity. Azzam described the plight of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails as "the main cause in the Israeli-Palestinian struggle." On Egypt, the political leader said that the North African state had a lot of enemies that want Egyptians to live in poverty and instability. He added that the events in Egypt had an impact on the situation in Gaza, pinpointing Egypt's support for the Palestinian cause.