Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar called on Israel to release scores of Palestinian officials detained after the capture of a soldier in a raid by militants.

On a visit to Israel's eastern neighbour Jordan, the minister strongly criticised Israel's reaction to the raid saying it was a "provocation out of proportion with events," the official Petra news agency said.

His comments came during a reception at the Malaysian embassy yesterday during which he handed over a donation of US$286,000 for the West Bank town of Jenin.

The town's mayor Hatem Jarrar had been due to receive the aid in person but he was among the 64 officials detained by Israel Thursday.

Lasting peace

Those held also include eight government ministers and 24 MPs, all drawn from the ruling Islamist group Hamas, whose militants jointly claimed the raid on an army post on the Gaza border in which the corporal was seized last Sunday.

Syed Hamid called for "a lasting peace that cannot be achieved by continuing the occupation of other people's territory".

"Israel is an occupier and Palestine is under occupation," said the minister who arrived in Jordan Friday for a three-day visit.

The minister already hit out at Israel's reprisals Friday describing them as "excessive".