Israeli troops kill Palestinian who tried to stab soldier: army

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli security forces shot dead on Saturday a Palestinian woman who tried to stab a soldier in the occupied West Bank, Israel's military said. No Israelis were wounded in the attack that happened near the Cave of the Patriarchs in the city of Hebron. A campaign of stabbings, shootings and car-rammings by Palestinians has killed 27 Israelis and a U.S. citizen since the start of October. Israeli forces have killed at least 158 Palestinians in the same period, 102 of them assailants, according to Israeli authorities. Other Palestinians have died during violent anti-Israeli protests. The surge in attacks has been partly fueled by Palestinian frustration over the collapse of U.S.-sponsored peace talks in 2014, the growth of Jewish settlements on land they seek for a future state and Islamist calls for the destruction of Israel. (Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Toby Chopra)