The Israeli raids have sparked exchanges of fire with Palestinians; Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted Palestinian security sources as saying.

Israeli forces had occupied Jenin since Friday and had only just left the town earlier Monday, April 7, 2003.

A curfew was imposed by the but it was not known if there had been any casualties, according to AFP.

On Saturday two foreign peace activists were wounded, one seriously, during clashes between Palestinian stone-throwers and Israeli soldiers in the town.

Incursions "Unacceptable"

Meanwhile, Greece, head of the EU rotating presidency condemned Monday Israeli troops' incursions into a Palestinian refugee camp last week, saying Israel could only ensure the safety of its citizens by accepting a political compromise to its conflict with the Palestinians.

The EU presidency said an end to Israeli-Palestinian violence could be ensured "only by the immediate, reciprocal and parallel implementation of the roadmap by the two parties".

The roadmap - drawn up by the EU, Russia, the United Nations and the United States - lays out steps for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and creating a Palestinian state by 2005.

"The presidency of the EU is particularly concerned by the Israeli operations in Tulkarem," Greece said in a statement.

"We fear this kind of unacceptable action, which imposes a curfew on the population of a whole town and even involves occupying schools ... takes the form of collective punishment that will fuel hatred and violence," it continued.

Last Wednesday, an Israeli armored column backed up by two helicopters entered the Tulkarem refugee camp in the West Bank to arrest suspected Palestinian activists.

Around 1,000 people aged between 15 and 40 were rounded up in a school courtyard in the town for identity checks. Most were then released while Israeli soldiers carried out house-to-house searches.

Diplomatic Hurdle

In another development, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer - on the first day of his Middle East visit - voiced Monday support for Israel before meeting Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Yet, a diplomatic problem arose after reports emerged that the new Israeli Justice Minister Tommy Lapid had cancelled a meeting with Fischer after the German minister requested not to hold their talks at his ministry, which is in annexed east Jerusalem.

Israeli media said Lapid refused to meet Fischer unless he came to the justice ministry in east Jerusalem, which was occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war and unilaterally annexed by the Jewish state, reported AFP.

Speaking after a meeting with Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, he said, "Everything should be done by the international community to move forward" in the direction of peace.

Shalom described the meeting as "important and constructive", saying it focused on the relations between the two countries, the war in Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Fischer, a frequent visitor since the 30-month Palestinian uprising erupted, said his trip to Israel was "first of all this gesture of friendship and solidarity in difficult times."

On the appointment of moderate new Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, who is expected to push democratic reforms, Shalom said, "It can be a step in the right direction if he will take the measures he needs to take.

"We are not going to be the only ones that will judge him. If he will make 100 percent effort, he will find us a real partner for peace."

Fischer is to meet Arafat and Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah on Wednesday. It will be the diplomatically-isolated Arafat's first meeting with a high-ranking foreign official in almost a year.

Both Fischer and Shalom said they were working to resolve the spat over the canceled meeting with Justice Minister Lapid.

The Palestinians want east Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state, whose creation is set out in an internationally-crafted peace "roadmap".

Shalom said he knew many countries refused to recognize Israel's annexation but added, "Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and we're trying to solve this issue before tomorrow morning" when the meeting is scheduled.

U.S. President George W. Bush has promised to shortly release the roadmap, which includes plans for the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005, drawn up by the quartet.

Peace Talks Conditioned

On the Israeli side, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said Monday that the only way for peace talks to resume is through putting an end to “violent operations” by Palestinian groups.

Shalom said that only if new Palestinian Premier Mahmud Abbas puts an end to martyrdom operations, peace could prevail, according to AFP.

In a public radio address, Shalom said that Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, "will be judged according to his actions. He will not only be judged by us (Israel), but also by terrorist organizations."

"If he acts against terrorist organizations, proceeds to get wanted militants arrested, confiscates weapons and put a halt to incitement to violence on Palestinian radio, television and at school, he will find in us partners ready to examine every way to reach peace," said Shalom.

Labor opposition chief Amram Mitzna dismissed Shalom's position.