Israeli woman stabbed in West Bank home

Israeli forces yesterday hunted for a Palestinian suspect accused of breaking into a West Bank home and stabbing a Jewish woman to death, further boosting tensions after months of violence.

As the hunt was under way, another stabbing occurred on a street in a separate West Bank settlement, wounding a 30-year-old pregnant woman identified as Michal Froman.

The 17-year-old Palestinian assailant was shot by security personnel and taken to hospital in severe condition after the attack in Tekoa south of Jerusalem.

While Sunday's killing was part of a months-long wave of violence, it was the first inside a Jewish settlement home in the occupied West Bank and triggered fears that the unrest was worsening and that Israel would impose a harsh security crackdown on Palestinians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signalled further security measures yesterday, pledging to "strengthen the communities" after the deadly stabbing in the Otniel settlement near the flashpoint city of Hebron in the southern West Bank.

Meanwhile, Palestinian intelligence officers have arrested an employee of top negotiator and PLO secretary-general Saeb Erekat on accusations of "spying for Israel", a security source said on Sunday.

The high-ranking official said on condition of anonymity that the man employed in the negotiations department of the Palestine Liberation Organisation was arrested around two weeks ago.