Two Palestinians killed in West Bank violence

A Palestinian assailant was shot and killed by Israeli forces after stabbing and seriously wounding an Israeli soldier in the West Bank on Wednesday, the latest in two months of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

Israeli police spokesperson Luba al-Samri said in a statement that a taxi stopped suddenly at the checkpoint and a passenger exited the vehicle, attempting to stab an Israeli soldier.

It was the second Palestinian death on Thursday.

Troops shot Yahya Taha in the head in a clash that erupted after they raided the village of Qattana overnight looking for ammunition and assailants. At least 92 Palestinians have died, including 58 said by Israel to be attackers.

The violence continued as Mr. Kerry was in Israel and the West Bank. Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank are seen as illegal under global law and major stumbling blocks to peace efforts since they are built on land Palestinians see as part of their future state. The fence will have similar technology as the recently constructed Israeli fence on the Egyptian frontier meant to deter infiltration of militants or migrants seeking asylum.

Also on Thursday, Israeli troops seized eight public transportation buses in the West Bank city of Nablus, according to drivers at the Al Tamimi company.

But a senior Israeli government official said there was no internal division over how to tackle Palestinian violence. Throughout the unrest, Palestinian security forces have maintained a longstanding system of security cooperation to help contain the violence. “He said a calm should be brought in place so other issues can then be discussed”, the Palestinian official said.

But there was no indication that any headway was made in his meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. It said locals threw petrol bombs and rocks at the troops, who fired at one of them.

Israel’s Defense Forces (IDF) recently gave a number of recommendations to ease conditions for the Palestinians, including changes in the system for granting permits to work in Israel in order to increase the number of young Palestinians who can go out to work. The Palestinians say it’s rooted in frustrations over Israel’s almost half a century-long occupation.