Israeli forces shoot dead Palestinian in West Bank

Israeli border forces shot dead a Palestinian at a checkpoint in the West Bank on Thursday evening, an Israeli military spokesperson confirmed to Xinhua.

Israeli army informed the Palestinian liaison office that a Palestinian was killed at a checkpoint near Nablus city, whose body is still with the Israeli side.

An Israeli police spokesperson said in a statement that the Palestinian attacked Israeli soldiers at the checkpoints with fireworks, prompting the forces to respond to the source of fire.

Some eye witnesses, however, said that the Palestinian man was standing near an Israeli military post and opened fire at Israeli soldiers with a flare gun; Israeli soldiers then opened fire and shot him dead.

Israeli forces immediately cleared the site, fearing that the man might have explosives strapped on his body. Bomb disposal teams were called to the scene.

There were no reports of injuries among Israeli troops, according to the Israeli statement.

The incident comes as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is visiting the region to push forward peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. Violence in the West Bank adds to the doubts over the success of the negotiations.

Last month, three Palestinians were killed in Israeli raids or confrontations between Palestinian rock throwers and the Israeli army.