Israeli troops kill two Palestinians in West Bank violence

RAMALLAH, (Reuters): Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian teenager during clashes with stone throwers in the occupied West Bank on Friday, officials said.

Israel’s border police said that during the clash in the village of Umm Safa near the city of Ramallah, “masked suspects threw stones and rocks endangering the lives of troops.”

A border policeman responded with fire and “a hit was identified,” it said.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said a 17-year-old resident of the village had been killed.

In a separate incident, Palestinian medical officials said a Palestinian was killed when Israeli troops fired at a car driving near the city of Nablus. Another was wounded and detained, they said.

The Israeli army said it was looking into the report.

Violence in the West Bank, among territories where the Palestinians seek to establish a state, has worsened over the past 15 months with stepped up Israeli raids, Palestinian street attacks and assaults by Jewish settlers on Palestinian villages.