Palestinian assailant with knife shot
dead in West Bank: Israeli army
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[September 20, 2016]
HEBRON, West Bank (Reuters) - A
Palestinian armed with a knife attempted to stab an Israeli soldier at a
checkpoint in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday and was shot and killed,
the Israeli army said.
The incident occurred at the entrance to Bani Na'im, a village to the
west of Hebron that has been tightly secured by Israeli forces in recent
months because of earlier attacks by Palestinians from the area.
The army said the assailant approached a checkpoint with a knife and
attempted to stab a soldier. "Responding to the immediate threat, forces
fired at the assailant, resulting in his death," it said in a statement.
The Palestinian health ministry confirmed a Palestinian had been killed
but had no immediate details of his name or age.
There has been a surge in stabbings and related attacks by Palestinians
targeting Israeli security forces in recent days, ahead of the Jewish
new year holiday and the anniversary of a wave of violence that began
last October.
On Monday, Israeli forces killed two Palestinian assailants in the West
Bank and two Israeli police officers were stabbed near the Old City of
Jerusalem.
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Tuesday's death raises to seven the number of alleged attackers - six
Palestinians and a Jordanian - killed since Friday in incidents in which
Israeli authorities said at least nine Israelis have been wounded.
Since October 2015, at least 218 Palestinians have died in violent
incidents in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. Of those,
147 were identified by authorities as assailants while others were
killed during clashes and protests.
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![](../images/092016pics/news_q29.jpg)
Israeli security forces stand at the scene where a Palestinian
attempted to stab an Israeli soldier at the entrance to the West
Bank village of Bani Na'im, near Hebron September 20, 2016.
REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Sep/20/images/ads/current/brickey_lda_061314.png)
Palestinians, many of them acting alone and with rudimentary
weapons, have killed at least 33 Israelis and two visiting Americans
in the attacks.
Palestinians have accused Israel of using excessive force and say
that some of those killed posed no threat or had no intention of
attacking anyone. In some cases, Israel has opened investigations
into whether excessive force was used.
Palestinian leaders say assailants are acting out of desperation
over the collapse of peace talks in 2014 and Israeli settlement
expansion on occupied land that Palestinians seek for an independent
state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Israel says anti-Israeli incitement by Palestinian officials and on
social media networks have stoked attacks.
(Writing by Luke Baker; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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