Palestinian teen arrested after stabbing Israeli policeman

Jerusalem: A teenage Palestinian girl stabbed and lightly wounded an Israeli policeman in the occupied West Bank on Thursday before being arrested, Israeli authorities said.

The policeman was directing traffic after a tree fell and blocked a road in the town of Auja, in the Jordan Valley north of Jericho, when he was stabbed in the shoulder, police said.

The girl ran off but was caught and arrested by her victim.

Israeli police gave her age as 14. Palestinian security sources said she was 16.

A wave of violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories since October has killed 180 Palestinians as well as 28 Israelis, an American, a Sudanese and an Eritrean, according to an AFP toll.

Most of the Palestinians who died in the violence were killed by Israeli forces while carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities.

Others were shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes or demonstrations.

Many of the attackers have been young Palestinians, including teenagers.

Israeli forces have been accused of using excessive force in some cases, which they strongly deny. No shots were fired in Thursday`s incident.