Israel police say knife-wielding Palestinian shot and killed

JERUSALEM – Israeli police say security forces have shot and killed a knife-wielding Palestinian at a West Bank junction.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri says an 18-year-old Palestinian disembarked from a bus at the Tapuach Junction, north of Jerusalem, and approached border policemen stationed there in a suspicious manner on Thursday.

She says when the policemen asked him to halt, he pulled out a knife and charged toward them. They then opened fire, killing him.

The incident is the latest in a year-long wave of violence. Palestinian attackers have killed 36 Israelis and two visiting Americans in stabbings, shootings and car ramming attacks. During the same period, 228 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire. Israel says most of the Palestinians killed were attackers while the rest died in clashes with troops.