RAMALLAH: Two Palestinians were killed and an Israeli occupier was critically wounded in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank on Monday, as violence involving Palestinians, Israeli forces and settlers intensified.
In Hajja, a village in the northern West Bank, about nine armed Israeli settlers entered the area from a nearby outpost and were confronted by Palestinian residents, according to witnesses cited by Reuters. Israeli troops subsequently arrived and gunfire erupted.
A 19-year-old Palestinian was killed and three others were wounded. The Israeli military said troops and civilians had opened fire after stones were thrown at them.
In a separate incident near Qusra, a Palestinian attacked and critically wounded a 20-year-old Israeli settler with a knife, according to Israeli authorities.
The Palestinian was later shot dead by an Israeli commander after the military said he attempted to stab soldiers.
The violence comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces pressure from Washington to dismantle some unauthorised settler outposts in the West Bank.
Most governments and international bodies regard Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank as illegal under international law. Israel disputes that interpretation.