Knife, car attacks in West Bank wound 6, attackers shot

Car-ramming and stabbing attacks wounded six Israelis in the West Bank on Sunday while two alleged Palestinian assailants were shot, authorities said, the latest in a weeks-long wave of violence.

While violence had waned somewhat in recent days, the fresh attacks signalled that knife, gun and car assaults that began at the start of October were set to continue despite tough Israeli security measures.

The latest unrest came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared to leave for Washington on Sunday to meet US President Barack Obama.

In the first incident, a Palestinian rammed a group of Israelis with a car at a junction, wounding four of them, and was then killed by security forces, police said.

The alleged attacker was said to have driven the car into an area south of Nablus where Israelis typically gather to hitch rides. A checkpoint is located nearby and Israeli border police opened fire.

Israeli public radio described two of the wounded as in a serious condition.

Later, a Palestinian woman stabbed a security guard near a West Bank settlement and was shot by the victim, the Israeli police and army said.

The incident occurred at the entrance to the Beitar Illit settlement south of Jerusalem. The fate of the woman was not immediately clear.

The third incident saw an Israeli settler stabbed while shopping in the West Bank village of Nabi Ilyas, with two alleged Palestinian assailants fleeing afterwards, the Israeli defence ministry said.

The victim, aged around 50, was stabbed in the stomach but managed to drive to a nearby checkpoint and was taken for medical treatment, authorities said. He is a resident of the Immanuel settlement in the West Bank.

Caption: Israeli security forces gather at the scene of the attack

Photo: Yahoo