Israeli and Palestinian forces exchange fire in West Bank

JERUSALEM – Israeli and Palestinian forces have engaged in a rare shootout in the West Bank.

Palestinian officials say one officer was lightly wounded in Tuesday’s gunfight, which erupted overnight in the city of Nablus.

Despite poor political relations, Israel and the Palestinians maintain close security co-operation in the West Bank in a shared struggle against the Islamic militant group Hamas.

The Israeli military said its soldiers identified a group of armed suspects that they realized only later were Palestinian security. Media reports said the soldiers opened fire mistakenly.

But Adnan Dmeiri, spokesman for Palestinian security, said Israel knew “exactly” where the Palestinian forces were stationed. He accused Israel of opening fire intentionally “for political reasons.”

The Israeli military announced an investigation. Dmeiri says the Palestinians refused to join the investigation.