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Israel says Palestinian killed in West Bank after "stabbing attack"

Xinhua, September 20, 2016 Adjust font size:

A Palestinian was killed on Tuesday as he tried to stab an Israeli soldier outside the West Bank city of Hebron, Israel's military said in a statement.

"An assailant armed with a knife attempted to stab an IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldier at a checkpoint at the entrance to Bani Na'im village," the statement read.

"Responding to the immediate threat, forces fired at the assailant, resulting in his death," it said.

Bani Na'im has been under closure since Friday after two alleged assailants came out from this village to perpetrate an attack against soldiers in the West Bank, according to Israeli authorities. The army blocked the exits of the village, and residents are allowed to leave only after a security check.

The incident followed bloody four days in which Israeli forces killed five Palestinians and a Jordanian. According to Israeli authorities, the men were killed while attacking Israelis, suggesting the return of the almost daily Palestinian attacks seen previously over the past year.

Jordan required a detailed explanation of the killing of 28-year-old Said Amro, who was shot dead by Israeli police outside east Jerusalem's Old City on Friday.

According to the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, Amro was with a group of tourists from Jordan.

Yearlong violence has claimed the lives of at least 230 Palestinians and 34 Israelis. Israel says that most of the Palestinians were killed amidst stabbing, car-ramming, and shooting attacks.

The Palestinians and human rights organizations say that Israel is using excessive force to quell the uprising, and in many cases kill Palestinians who could be stopped without using lethal force or were mistaken to be attackers.

Israeli leaders accuse the Palestinian National Authority of "inciting" the unrest, while the Palestinians say it is the result of 49 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank, east Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, home to more than five million Palestinians, where they wish to establish their state. Endit