欧美文化:Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian attacker in West Bank: military

JERUSALEM/RAMALLAH, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Israeli soldiers on Thursday shot and killed a knife-wielding Palestinian who also attempted to ram people at a junction near a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli army said.

Surveillance camera footage circulated on social media shows the suspect arriving in his car at the Gitai Avisar Junction outside the Jewish settlement of Ariel in the northern West Bank. He was then seen stepping out of the car and approaching a policeman before soldiers shot him dead.

The Israeli military said in a statement that the suspect "first deviated to the opposite lane of the road and attempted to ram civilians and security personnel who were at the junction. Afterward, he exited his vehicle while carrying a knife and attempted to stab a police officer." Soldiers who were in the area opened fire toward him, the army confirmed.

No injuries were reported among the Israelis.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said the Palestinian liaison office of security coordination with Israel informed it that Ahmad Taha, 39, was killed by Israeli soldiers west of Salfit.

The ministry's statement didn't provide more details.

Also on Thursday, dozens of Palestinians gathered in the West Bank village of Ain al-Bayda to protest against the Israeli settlers' assaults on their properties, Palestinian sources said.

Local Palestinian sources said that the demonstrators chanted slogans against settlers, and Israeli soldiers fired teargas to disperse them.

The incidents were part of an ongoing wave of violence between Israel and the Palestinians, triggered by Israeli raids on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a flashpoint holy site in East Jerusalem, earlier in April and daily military raids in the West Bank.

Israel maintains the raids are aimed at arresting suspects in a string of Palestinian attacks against Israelis.