Israeli troops ‘neutralize’ Palestinian in West Bank

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israeli army troops shot and “neutralized” a young Palestinian man on Friday in the occupied West Bank after the latter allegedly tried to attack several Israelis.

"A Palestinian ran into an Israeli in the [Jewish-only] Gush Etzion [settlement bloc] in the southern West Bank," Israeli military spokesman Avichai Adarai said in a statement.

"The Palestinian later exited his car and tried to attack a group of Israeli soldiers stationed in the area with a knife," Adarai claimed, without providing the name of the alleged Palestinian attacker.

He went on to assert that the soldiers had opened fire on the Palestinian, effectively "neutralizing" him.

The spokemsan did not say whether the unidentified Palestinian had been injured or killed.

"The Israeli citizen [who was allegedly struck by the car] suffered moderate injuries and was rushed to a hospital," he added.

Earlier Friday, eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency by phone that Israeli army troops had opened fire on a Palestinian man as the latter drove between the southern West Bank cities of Bethlehem and Hebron, leaving him injured.

According to the same witnesses, the Israeli army has since sealed off the area, thus preventing access to the injured individual.