Palestinian rams car into Israelis in West Bank

A Palestinian attacker rammed his vehicle into a group of Israelis standing at a hitchhiking station in the West Bank on Sunday, wounding four of them before he was shot dead by paramilitary officers, Israeli police said.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said two of the Israelis were moderately wounded in the attack, the latest in nearly two months of violence across the region.

Later, the Israeli military said a Palestinian woman stabbed a security guard at the entrance to a West Bank settlement. The guard was lightly wounded and shot the woman, wounding her.

Since mid-September, 11 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks, most of them stabbings, while 74 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, including 47 who Israel said were involved in attacks or attempted attacks. The other 27 Palestinians were killed in clashes between stone-throwers and security forces.

In addition to stabbings, Palestinians have also carried out shooting attacks and used vehicles to attack Israelis.

The bloodshed was triggered by unrest at a major Jerusalem shrine revered by both Muslims and Jews, and quickly spread to the rest of Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza border.

Israel has blamed the violence on incitement by Palestinian political and religious leaders. Palestinians say the violence is rooted in a lack of hope for gaining independence after years of failed peace efforts.