Less than 24 hours after the release of 198 Palestinian prisoners as a gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in the region to further the diplomatic negotiations – Israel on Tuesday has granted 'amnesty' to dozens of wanted Palestinians.

A senior Palestinian source told Ynet that 45 wanted men would receive full amnesty, allowing them complete freedom of movement in the Territories and even beyond their borders. Other will be restricted to the 'A' Territories.

Some 20 other wanted men, who have been detained by the Palestinian Authority, will be released from prison on the condition that they remain within the PA command.

Additionally, a number of wanted men who were not granted amnesty as part of the agreement signed last year, will enter a probation period of several months – after which it will be decided if they are eligible for full amnesty.
n October 2007 Israel and the PA signed an agreement that saw members of the Al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigades – the military wing of Fatah - who were willing to lay down their arms granted amnesty.

In all some 270 Al-Aqsa men were granted amnesty, among them Zakaria Zubeidi, the organization's prominent Jenin commander.