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JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A Palestinian driver who tried on Monday to run down and then stab Israeli soldiers near a settlement in the occupied West Bank was shot dead by the troops, the Israeli military said.

A wave of Palestinian street attacks that began in 2015 has slowed but has not stopped. In the latest incident, the military said the soldiers opened fire in response to an “immediate threat” posed by the man.

At least 255 Palestinians and one Jordanian citizen have been killed since the violence began. Israel says at least 173 of those killed were carrying out attacks while others died in clashes and protests. Thirty-eight Israelis, two U.S. tourists and a British student have been killed in Palestinian stabbings, shootings and car-rammings.

Israel blames the violence on incitement by the Palestinian leadership. The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank, says desperation over the occupation of land sought by Palestinians for a state is the cause.

U.S.-brokered peace talks broke down in 2014.