Israel has released on bail the jailed son of Palestinian uprising leader Marwan Barghouti, who is himself serving multiple sentences of life in prison, an Israeli official said on Friday.

Qassam Barghouti, 21, urged Palestinian leaders to continue their efforts to win the freedom of the more than 9,000 prisoners still held by Israel,
including his father.

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"Thank God for returning me to freedom," he said. "But it's bittersweet because ... (other) prisoners remain behind."

Barghouti traveled to the grave of the late Yasser Arafat, and was joined by several dozen supporters as they marched through Ramallah's main square. At one point, gunmen jubilantly fired their weapons into the air.

Barghouti was arrested in late 2003 after crossing from Jordan into the West Bank. Israeli security officials accused him of complicity in Palestinian militant attacks, a charge his lawyer denied.

Prisons Service said Barghouti was convicted of weapons possession and freed after serving a 34-month term behind bars. But he remains on probation as a military court is still considering other charges against him.

"Bail was posted, and Barghouti is required to stay in the area of Ramallah and report to our Binyamin station once a week," Prisons Service spokeswoman Ori Steltzer said.

His father, Marwan, is a legislator from the Palestinian faction Fatah serving five life prison terms in Israel for orchestrating attacks by the militant al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

Since Fatah was beaten in Palestinian elections last year by the more hardline Islamist Hamas, there has been recurrent speculation in Israel that Marwan Barghouti could win clemency in a bid by Israel to foster a new partner for peace.

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