Israeli troops and armed Palestinians traded gunfire for several hours late Monday near the Jewish settlement of Psagot in the West Bank, army radio reported, but said there were no injuries.
The Israeli forces retaliated after shots were fired on Psagot from the Palestinian-run town of Ramallah and nearby el-Bireh, the radio report said.
It was one of the most serious gunfights near the settlement, which has frequently been the target of Palestinian gunfire since the tide of Israeli-Palestinian violence exploded almost 12 weeks ago.
The army also said shots were fired at a car near the settlement of Itamar near the Palestinian town of Nablus in the north of the West Bank. There were no reports of injuries.
More than 340 people, most of them Palestinians, have been killed in the violence that has raged through the region since late September.
Jewish settlements, many of them heavily fortified, have become flashpoints for violent confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli troops.
Some 200,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, land captured by Israel in war 33 years ago, in violation of international law. Their fate is one of the key bones of contention in efforts to find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- JERUSALEM (AFP)
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