Tarqumiya checkpoint, West Bank ? Israel freed 334 Palestinian prisoners in a bid to jump-start halting peace efforts — but the gesture fell flat among Palestinians, who had hoped for a mass release and said authorities chose mostly prisoners whose terms were about to expire anyway.

Still, emotional scenes were played out at the five handover points throughout the West Bank and Gaza, as freed men kissed the ground and waiting relatives chanted “God is Great” and pounded on drums before whisking the former inmates to festive hometown welcomes.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a year,” said Hathem Kafisheh, leaning from a bus window to pick up and hug his daughter Alla. Kafisheh, a leader of the militant Islamic Hamas group in the West Bank city of Hebron, was arrested 13 months ago.

But many Palestinians expressed strong dissatisfaction with Israel’s perceived failure to send an unequivocal message that a new page has been turned after almost three years of deadly violence.

“Despite the joy that every Palestinian feels over freedom for some of the Palestinians in Israeli prisons, the Palestinian Authority … insists on the release of all Palestinian prisoners” along a fixed timetable, Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Amr said.

Israel still holds more than 7,000 Palestinians, primarily on suspicion of involvement in terrorism. It says that despite a one-month lull in violence since militant groups declared a temporary cease-fire, it would be dangerous to release many more prisoners as long as militant groups remain armed and able to resume attacks.

The acrimony surrounding Israel’s intended gesture of goodwill underscored the bitterness on both sides over the lack of progress along the U.S.-backed “road map” peace plan.

Both sides have skirted key obligations: Israel has not frozen construction in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza or dismantled most of the 100-odd unauthorized settlement outposts. Its troops still control West Bank cities and prevent the free movement of Palestinians throughout the West Bank. The Palestinians have not disarmed and dismantled militant groups.

The Palestinians also have been angrily protesting the massive security fence Israel is building between its territory and the West Bank.