Jerusalem, May 11: Israel has released dozens of Palestinian held in administrative detention as part of conciliatory measures coinciding with US Secretary of State Colin Powell's visit to boost the so-called roadmap for peace, the defence minstry said.
The Israeli Army has released "around 70 prisoners under administrative detention" held in Ketziot prison in southern Israel's Negev desert, spokesman Eli Kamir said.

He said a total of some 200 administrative detainees were to be released in the coming days. Most of them had already served most of their terms.
The Israeli rights group B'tselem says some 1,200 Palestinians are held under administrative detention, a measure which dates back to the British mandate and under which Palestinians are held without trial for renewable six-month periods.

Palestinian officials put the figure at around 2,000.
Bureau Report