Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations

    CAIRO, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit on Monday welcomed the release of 198 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

    Abul Gheit said the Israeli move is "a step forward in the right direction," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said in a statement.

    Egypt fully supports the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and will exert all efforts to help release more Palestinian detainees, said Zaki.

    Israel should set free more Palestinians in its jails and take necessary measures to improve the situation in the disputed lands, added the spokesman.

    On Monday morning, Israel released 198 Palestinian prisoners at Beitunya checkpoint north of Jerusalem as a goodwill gesture to moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

    According to official figures, Israel holds more than 11,000 prisoners in its jails, most of whom were arrested during the second Intifada (uprising) which erupted against Israel in the Palestinian territories in late September 2000.