Palestinian shot after allegedly ramming car into Israeli soldiers

A Palestinian was shot after he allegedly rammed a vehicle into Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank early Tuesday, wounding three of the soldiers, according to statements from the Israeli police and army.

The wounded - two soldiers and one border police officer - were evacuated for medical treatment after the incident at the Tapuah junction south of the northern city of Nablus.

The alleged assailant was "receiving medical care," the army said, without providing further details.

On Monday, a Palestinian had reportedly stabbed two Israeli soldiers on the edge of the West Bank, killing one of them before being shot dead, the Israeli army said.

The killings capped another day of violence in which three Palestinian assailants - including a teenage girl - were also killed.

Ninety-two Palestinians as well as 17 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean have been killed in a wave of violence since 1 October.

Around half of the Palestinians killed have been alleged attackers. Others have been shot dead during protests or clashes with Israeli security forces.

Meanwhile, Israel's army launched an air raid on the Gaza Strip on Monday evening after a rocket was fired into southern Israel.

"This morning, a rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip into an uninhabited area of southern Israel ... without causing any injuries," the Israeli military said in a statement. 

"In response to this attack, the army targeted a Hamas military post in the centre of the Gaza Strip," it added.

No group has claimed responsibility for firing the rocket, but Israel holds Hamas responsible for any rocket attacks that come from the Strip.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is due in Jerusalem on Tuesday to hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas aimed at defusing the violence. 

PLO's Erekat blames Israel PM for unrest

Meanwhile, Palestine Liberation Organisation senior official Saeb Erekat on Monday blamed Israel's prime minister for nearly two months of deadly unrest

Erekat, who has served as the Palestinians' chief negotiator, also stressed in an interview with AFP that he did not condone killings, but declined to outright condemn a wave of Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis.

The attackers appear to be acting on their own, defying Abbas's calls for peaceful resistance against Israel's occupation.

Erekat said if nothing concrete comes out of the meetings with Kerry, the Palestinians could move forward on changing longstanding links with Israel, including security coordination.

"I condemn the policies of Benjamin Netanyahu," said the 60-year-old Erekat, who will participate in Tuesday's talks.

"Yes, and I hold him responsible. I hold him responsible for this deterioration."

He accused Netanyahu of cutting off the hopes of young Palestinians by refusing to recognise a Palestinian state according to 1967 borders and allowing Jewish settlement building in the occupied West Bank – illegal under international law - to continue, among other issues.

"We really hope, and I really hope against hope, that Mr Kerry will succeed in getting from Netanyahu a commitment to carry out his obligations," Erekat said.

He said later that Abbas "promised Kerry that we will not move until he comes, so it depends on what he brings tomorrow.

"But then after that, if Netanyahu continues his games of settlements, dictations, destroying the two-state solution, there will be major, major decisions."

The Israeli prime minister has accused Palestinian leaders of helping incite the current wave of violence.

"I condemn those who destroy hope," Erekat said when asked if he saw a need to condemn the Palestinian attacks.

"I condemn those who chose settlements and dictation rather than peace and negotiations. And I told you I don't condone the killing of civilians, given it is Israelis or Palestinians.

"I'm a man of peace. I want to make peace. I recognise Israel's right to exist."

He said that an international investigation was needed to probe allegations of extrajudicial killings and excessive force by Israelis, and warned that "things are deteriorating. Things are slipping outside our fingers like sand".

Erekat said that "when you simply speak about people dying, those people dying are my children and my grandchildren. They are the same people we are supposed to give better lives to.

"That's what we promised. But OK, I tell him now: You succeeded Mr Netanyahu. You destroyed the two-state solution. You destroyed (the) Palestinian moderate camp."

US officials said they were not expecting to strike any new agreement on a return to peace talks during Kerry's visit, and would simply try to walk the parties back from the immediate violence.