West Bank: Palestinian trying to stab, gunned down by Israeli soldier

Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian who tried to stab one of them in the occupied West Bank on Monday, the military said.

The incident occurred at a bus stop along the main highway near the large Jewish settlement of Ariel.

"A Palestinian attempted to stab a soldier at the site. Our troops fired at him and he was killed. There were no casualties among our forces," the military said in a statement.

Israeli media reports said two soldiers routinely guard the bus stop.

There was no immediate Palestinian comment.

Palestinians began a wave of knife and car ramming attacks in the West Bank and in Israel in 2015, after peace talks with Israel collapsed. Such incidents have become more sporadic.

Palestinians want the West Bank, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, to be part of a future state and most countries consider Jewish settlements built in the area to be illegal. Israel disputes this