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The scene of the attempted stabbing in the West Bank. Credit: Gush Etzion spokesman

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BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian man was shot and killed by Israeli forces in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc southwest of Bethlehem on Thursday after allegedly attempting to stab an Israeli soldier, Israel's army said.

"Moments ago, IDF forces thwarted an attack at a crowded bus station in Gush Etzion," an Israeli army spokesperson told Ma'an.
"A Palestinian armed with a knife attempted to stab a soldier, forces on site shot the assailant," she added, confirming that the Palestinian was killed.

The Palestinian was identified as Malik Talal al-Shareef, 25.
No Israelis were injured in the incident.

Last week, two Palestinians were shot dead following an attack in Gush Etzion that left an Israeli soldier injured.

Seventy-three Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the beginning of last month, many of whom were shot dead during attempted, alleged, and actual attacks on Israeli military and civilians.

At least nine Israelis have been killed in attacks by individual Palestinians during the same time period.

The deaths of Palestinians in several cases have raised widespread controversy over Israel’s “shoot to kill” policy that critics claim has led to “extrajudicial executions.”

While the frequency of attacks and Palestinian deaths has reduced over the past week, Israeli intelligence said Wednesday that the decline is unlikely to be long-term, according to Israeli media.

Following the recent violence, PLO Negotiations Affairs Department on Thursday said: “Though Israeli spokespeople have claimed that the main issues are Al-Aqsa and ‘Palestinian incitement,’ the fact of the matter is that Israel continues to systematically deny Palestinian rights.”
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by Gili Cohen for Haaretz

A Palestinian terrorist was shot and killed during an attempted stabbing attack at the Gush Etzion junction on Highway 60 in the West Bank on Thursday afternoon, the Israeli army said. No other casualties were reported.

Palestinians identified the attacker as Malak Talal Sharif, a youth from Hebron. 

An initial investigation found that two soldiers, members of the Shimshon Brigade, who were at the Gush Etzion Junction discerned a Palestinian who aroused their suspicion. They called on him to approach then, and then they began to ask him questions to determine his intentions.

When one of the soldiers turned around to report on his two-way radio about the suspect, Sharif pulled out a knife. Another soldier who noticed the knife shot and killed him.

The soldier is apparently the same one who shot and killed two Palestinians in a terror attack at the same junction 10 days ago, in which a soldier was stabbed and suffered moderate injuries.
On Wednesday, a border policeman was fatally wounded while stopping an attack at Halhul near Hebron. The hospital said Wednesday evening that he was in critical condition. The Palestinian attacker was shot and killed.

On Monday, four Israelis were wounded in two stabbing attacks in central Israel, including a 70-year-old man, a 31-year-old man, an 80-year-old woman, and a man in his twenties.