Two Palestinian diplomats have been released after being held for more than a year in Iraq's notorious Abu Ghraib prison.

Palestinian charge d'affaires Najah Abdel Rahman and cultural attache Monir Subhi were detained in mid-May 2003 along with five others working in the Palestinian mission.

US forces levelled no charges against them and repeatedly promised they would be released. The other five embassy employees were released last July. A further 16 Palestinian students studying in Iraq were arrested in various places by US troops in 2003 and 2004.

The diplomats were arrested for possessing weapons shortly after Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was ousted. The pair insisted the weapons were for personal use.

Interestingly, we've just learned that George Bush likes showing Oval Office visitors the pistol his troops seized from Saddam. The Rude Pundit wonders how may laws, federal and D.C., might the President be breaking with his possession of that firearm? Did he receive a background check for the transfer of ownership? Is Bush licensed to possess a firearm in a federal facility? The District of Columbia prohibits firearms to be gifts. How many people are implicated in Bush's firearm possession?

And, of course, ignorance of the law does not excuse the potential crimes.