Israel shoots dead Palestinian near illegal West Bank settlement, alleges he attempted knife attack

Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank on Friday, Tel Aviv's army said, claiming he had attempted to stab soldiers and civilians.

Citing an initial investigation, it alleged in a statement that the man had arrived at a junction near the illegal Jewish settlement of Ariel in a car, got out and "armed with a knife, ran toward the bus station where civilians and [Israeli army] soldiers were standing".

There was no immediate Palestinian comment on the incident.

Israel's settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law. Settlers and Tel Aviv's army commonly engage in violence against local Palestinians.

Dozens of Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank this year by the Israeli army, which often maintains they had been attempting some form of attack.

(Reuters, AFP)