Israeli police shoot man after alleged stabbing attempt

"A terrorist attempted to stab a border police officer after approaching him. The officer responded and the terrorist was shot," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

Rosenfeld said the attacker had been taken to hospital and the area was cordoned off.

The incident occurred at a police checkpoint between the  Armon Hanatziv settlement and the predominantly Palestinian neighbourhood of Jabel Mukaber in east Jerusalem.

A separate police statement said the man shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is the greatest) before launching the attempted attack.

There was no immediate information about his identity.

East Jerusalem contains 15 Israeli settlements - considered illegal under international law - home to an estimated 500,000 settlers.

The attack comes amid frayed tensions across the West Bank and Jerusalem as Israel verges on formally annexing large parts of the territory, something considered illegal under international law.

The move has been strongly discouraged by the international community, but celebrated by several hardline factions, including many settlers who demand Israeli sovereignty over all Palestinian territories.

A string of so-called lone wolf attacks by Palestinians took place in 2015 and 2016, though recent years have been calmer.

Israeli officials say such attacks are difficult to prevent, with attackers typically working alone without significant pre-planning.

Human rights groups have accused Israeli security forces of using excessive force to subdue attackers in certain cases, most of which have been carried out by lone-wolf assailants, many of them young.

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