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Israeli soldiers inspect a damaged army jeep after a stabbing attack
A civilian security guard then ran over the attacker with his car, lightly wounding him, the statement said. Afterwards soldiers arrested the suspect.
The army and Palestinian security officials identified the attacker as Mohammed al-Khatib, a police officer from a village near the West Bank town of Jenin.
Israeli troops later raided Khatib's house "as part of the investigation," the army said.
The army jeep, its interior soaked with blood, lay overturned in a ditch near the site of the attack, a major junction in the West Bank.
The soldier, identified as a member of Israel's Druze minority, died on the way to hospital, the army said.
"The IDF regards this incident with great severity, and will operate to bring all those involved in the attack to justice," the statement said.
Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad condemned the attack.
"We condemn this incident, which contradicts Palestinian national interests and Palestinian Authority efforts as well as commitments," he said.
"Our people are unanimous on peaceful resistance against settlements, settlers' violence and the Wall" (security barrier built to separate the occupied West Bank from Israel), he said.
The Yesha Council, representing Jewish settlers, said the attack was "the direct consequence of gestures toward the Palestinians, trying in a pathetic way to get Abu Mazen (Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas) to the negotiating table by leaving in control of security the Palestinian forces, from whom the killer came."
Attacks on Israelis in the West Bank have dropped significantly in recent years, with 2009 seeing the lowest number since the start of the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, in 2000.
Much of this has been attributed to the increased effectiveness of US-trained Palestinian forces and continued Israeli army operations in the territory.
However, the army recently said it had "noticed a rise in motivation to execute terror attacks" and had confiscated more than 20 knives and uncovered 12 explosive devices since the start of the year.
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The army and Palestinian security officials identified the attacker as Mohammed al-Khatib, a police officer from a village near the West Bank town of Jenin.
Israeli troops later raided Khatib's house "as part of the investigation," the army said.
The army jeep, its interior soaked with blood, lay overturned in a ditch near the site of the attack, a major junction in the West Bank.
The soldier, identified as a member of Israel's Druze minority, died on the way to hospital, the army said.
"The IDF regards this incident with great severity, and will operate to bring all those involved in the attack to justice," the statement said.
Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad condemned the attack.
"We condemn this incident, which contradicts Palestinian national interests and Palestinian Authority efforts as well as commitments," he said.
"Our people are unanimous on peaceful resistance against settlements, settlers' violence and the Wall" (security barrier built to separate the occupied West Bank from Israel), he said.
The Yesha Council, representing Jewish settlers, said the attack was "the direct consequence of gestures toward the Palestinians, trying in a pathetic way to get Abu Mazen (Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas) to the negotiating table by leaving in control of security the Palestinian forces, from whom the killer came."
Attacks on Israelis in the West Bank have dropped significantly in recent years, with 2009 seeing the lowest number since the start of the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, in 2000.
Much of this has been attributed to the increased effectiveness of US-trained Palestinian forces and continued Israeli army operations in the territory.
However, the army recently said it had "noticed a rise in motivation to execute terror attacks" and had confiscated more than 20 knives and uncovered 12 explosive devices since the start of the year.
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