Jerusalem: A Palestinian attempted to stab Israeli soldiers at a junction near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank on Friday and was shot dead by security forces, the Israeli army said.
The incident occurred at the Gush Etzion junction near a large bloc of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. No soldiers were reported wounded.
Israeli-Palestinian tensions have been high over the last couple weeks due to a dispute over a sensitive Jerusalem holy site, but it was unclear if there was any link.
The Israeli authorities installed metal detectors and cameras at the compound of the holy site following a shootout on July 14. This led to Palestinians protesting the move as they view the security move as Israel asserting further control over the site, which houses the revered Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock.
On Friday, clashes between Palestinian and Israeli forces were reported in several locations in the West Bank, including in nearby Bethlehem and Hebron.