JERUSALEM: Israeli forces on Monday shot dead a Palestinian man who was trying to stab a soldier in the West Bank, Israel's army said, in the latest unrest in the occupied territory.
A statement from Israel's army said the alleged assailant had arrived in a vehicle at the Gush Etzion Junction, which is part of a Jewish settlement in the West Bank.
“The assailant, armed with a knife, got out of the vehicle and attempted to stab a (Israeli) soldier. The soldier fired towards the assailant and neutralised him,“ the army statement said.
A military spokesperson told AFP the suspect had been killed.
The Palestinian health ministry identified the man killed as Faleh Musa Jaradat, who lived south of Hebron.
Knife attacks by Palestinians targeting Israeli forces are common in the West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel's army since the Six Day War in 1967.
Nearly 475,000 Jewish settlers have since moved into the territory, living in communities that are widely regarded as illegal under international law.
Tension and violence between settlers and Palestinians is common in the West Bank, which Palestinian claim as a key part of their future state. - AFP
