Palestinian killed, Israeli soldier wounded in West Bank stabbing attack

In a fresh outbreak of violence Wednesday, a Palestinian was shot dead and another was wounded after they stabbed an Israeli woman soldier near a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, Israeli army said.

A military spokesperson said the attack was carried out on Road 60, the main north-south West Bank highway, near the Jewish settlement of Geva Binyamin.

"Initial inquiry suggests the assailant stabbed an Israeli," said the spokesperson. "Forces at the scene shot the attacker, and an additional suspect was detained on site," the spokesperson added.

Medical teams said the 19-year-old soldier was evacuated to a hospital in a critical condition.

The attack came amidst a month-long wave of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, with almost daily Palestinian stabbing attacks and Israeli use of extensive force to quell protests by Palestinian youths.

In the morning, a 15-year-old Palestinian girl was shot and injured near the Jewish settlement of Itzahar. A military spokeswoman told Xinhua the teen attempted to infiltrate the settlement, armed with a knife.

She was arrested and taken to an Israeli hospital after sustaining light injuries, the spokeswoman said.

At noon, an Israeli police officer was lightly injured after he was hit by a Palestinian car near the settlement of Ofra, north of Ramallah. Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the incident was suspected as a run-over attack and launched a manhunt to catch the driver.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed on Wednesday for a visit to Berlin, where he will separately meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for talks on quelling the spiking tensions.

With the violence showing no signs of subsiding, UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon arrived Tuesday in the region for separate meetings with Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and urged both sides to restore calm.

The violence has claimed the lives of 10 Israelis, killed in a series of Palestinian knife and stone attacks, and at least 45 Palestinians, who were killed during clashes with Israeli forces or following attacks. Endit