Palestinian stabs Israeli in West Bank, is shot dead

Jerusalem: A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli in the neck in the southern West Bank on Wednesday and was shot dead by forces at the scene, the Army and a hospital said.

It was the latest incident in nearly two months of knife, gun and car-ramming attacks by Palestinians and came a day after a visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry failed to produce any breakthrough.

"A Palestinian assailant stabbed and wounded an Israeli at the Al Fawwar junction," outside the flashpoint city of Hebron, a focal point of the recent violence, a statement from the military said.

"In response to the immediate danger, forces on site fired at the attacker."

A spokeswoman for Shaare Zedek hospital in Jerusalem said the assailant was pronounced dead after resuscitation efforts failed.

Palestinians identified him as Mohammad Shubaki, 19, from Al Fawwar refugee camp.

A doctor said he had suffered bullet wounds to his chest and stomach.

The stabbing victim was in "stable" condition, a surgeon at Shaare Zedek's trauma unit told reporters.

Kerry warned today that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians could worsen beyond repair unless both sides made rapid compromises.

"As you know, we're very concerned about the violence and the potential for the situation to spin out of control," Kerry told reporters as he arrived back in Boston after talks with both Israeli and Palestinian leaders yesterday.

"I think we may be reaching a pivotal point now where both sides have important decisions to make for the future and we obviously hope that they make choices that will advance the prospects for lasting peace."

Kerry had hoped to mediate gestures that would ease tensions in his separate talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Mahmud Abbas.

There were scant signs of major progress, however, and Netanyahu told him that civilian Palestinian projects would be allowed to advance only when Israel experienced a "return of the quiet," an Israeli official said.

The premier also conditioned Palestinian construction in Israeli-controlled parts of the West Bank on international recognition of Israel's right to build in existing settlement blocs.

The US rejected the notion of settlement recognition with "a big no," a State Department spokesman said.

Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank are seen as illegal under international law and major stumbling blocks to peace efforts since they are built on land Palestinians see as part of their future state.

"Every US administration since 1967, Democrat and Republican alike, has opposed Israeli settlement activity beyond the 1967 lines, and this administration's been no different and will be no different," State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said.

Kerry at the same time expressed strong support for Israel and condemned Palestinian attacks when he met Netanyahu.

Violence since October 1 has left 92 Palestinians dead, including one Arab Israeli, as well as 17 Israelis - including the two Israeli-Americans - one American and an Eritrean.

Many of the Palestinians killed have been alleged attackers, while others were shot during demonstrations and clashes with Israeli security forces.