WEST BANK (voa) – Israeli troops have shot and killed a Palestinian gunman who infiltrated a Jewish settlement in the West Bank late Wednesday, killing at least one settler and wounding four others.
The gunman shot at a security guard before storming into the Hamra settlement in the Jordan Valley, east of Nablus. Some reports he burst into a house and briefly took hostages. It is unclear if the Palestinian acted alone and if accomplices are still in the area.
Also near Nablus Wednesday, the Israeli army seized eight missiles and a launcher hidden in a Palestinian truckload of vegetables.
Soldiers stopped the vehicle at a checkpoint. It was heading from Nablus to the Palestinian-ruled town of Jenin.
Israeli Brigadier-General Gershon Yitzhak said the missiles were capable of hitting Israeli cities.
Earlier Wednesday, Israeli border police say they foiled a likely suicide bombing when they arrested a Palestinian man wearing a belt of explosives on a bus heading to a West Bank settlement.
The driver became suspicious and alerted police at a checkpoint outside Jerusalem. Elsewhere, Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian teenager in Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
The incidents came as Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon travels to Washington to meet with President Bush Thursday.
Israeli officials say Mr. Sharon will ask President Bush to cut all ties with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Israel has declared him irrelevant and not a partner in peace. U.S. officials have said they will continue to deal with Mr. Arafat.
