GAZA, Dec. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- Palestinian minister for prisoners affairs Hisham Abdel Razeq said Monday that the Israeli decision to release 170 Palestinian prisoners was a unilateral step and only for "public relations".

   Abdel Razeq told reporters that the prisoners to be released were only those "who finished their imprisonment terms."

   He said other prisoners that Israel would release were "Palestinian workers who were arrested by the Israeli police for not having work permits."

   "In order to have a positive influence on the Palestinians and on the peace process, Israel should carry out a genuine release of prisoners, especially children and elderly," said Abdel Razeq.

   "If Israel is seeking a political meaning for the release of prisoners and for improving future relations, Israel must release all prisoners in Israeli jails," he added.

   An Israeli ministerial committee decided on Sunday to release 170 Palestinian prisoners within the coming few days, as part of Israel's goodwill gesture towards Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak after Egypt freed the Israeli Mosad agent Azzam Azzam.

   The committee said 120 prisoners are Fatah movement activists who were not involved in killing Israelis and the other 50 were workers who illegally stayed in Israel without a permit.

   Palestinian minister of communications Azzam al Ahmed told reporters that the Israeli government decision "is not an enough step and just puffing dusts into the eyes."

   "It is part of an Israeli-Egyptian deal that we were not part of it," al Ahmed said.

   However, "any release of prisoners of course would be welcomed," he added.

   He denied there are any Israeli-Palestinian contacts to release more prisoners before the Palestinian presidential elections due to be held on Jan. 9.

   "There are no contacts but the prisoners issue is always one of our concerns," he said.  Enditem