Israeli policeman, two Palestinians killed in shooting

Two Palestinian gunmen have opened fire on an Israeli border police patrol, killing one Israeli before they were shot dead. The gunmen were in a car travelling from the West Bank towards Israel when they encountered border police at Baka al-Gharbiya.

The Israeli Arab town is on the green line, the invisible border between Israel and the West Bank.

When police ordered them to stop, the gunmen opened fire, starting a firefight which left one policeman dead and one of the gunmen injured. When police advanced towards the wounded gunman on the ground, he tossed a grenade, which exploded but did not cause any injuries.

Police then shot the gunman dead.

Officers fired at the second gunman who was still in the car and the shots caused an explosion in the vehicle - apparently the detonation of explosives belt worn by the gunmen.

Farid Ghanem, a captain with the Border Police, said: "I have no doubt that a very serious terrorist bombing in some Israeli town was prevented."

The Al-Aqsa Brigade, which is linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, claimed responsibility for the attack. An anonymous caller to the Associated Press said the two Palestinians were attempting to cross the green line to carry out a suicide attack inside Israel.