Palestinian killed in Hebron, Israeli hurt

AFP/JerusalemA Palestinian stabbed and seriously wounded an Israeli near a flashpoint holy site in the West Bank city of Hebron yesterday and was shot dead by security forces, Israeli police said. The attack occurred around a border police post near the Tomb of the Patriarchs, known to Muslims as the Ibrahimi Mosque. Border police opened fire on the attacker. It was the latest in more than two months of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks.  Hebron has been the focus of much of the violence, with tensions high between Israeli settlers living in the heart of the city under heavy guard and Palestinian residents. Since October 1, almost daily attacks and clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers have killed 111 on the Palestinian side, 17 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean. Many of the Palestinians killed have been alleged attackers, while others have been shot dead by Israeli security forces during clashes. The stabbings, shootings and car rammings have mainly been carried out by “lone wolf” attackers who have defied calls for peaceful resistance to Israel’s occupation. While the violence has mainly been focused on Jerusalem and the West Bank, it has also spilled over into the Gaza Strip, where protesters have clashed with Israeli security forces along the border fence. Early yesterday an Israeli air raid struck a Hamas training camp in the northern Gaza Strip in response to shots fired at Israeli patrol vehicles along the border, with no one there at the time and no injuries reported.