Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had conducted a security assessment into the incident, along with the defence minister and the military’s chief of staff.
Three months before Israelis go to the polls, Netanyahu’s pro-settler government has stepped up preparations to expand settlements in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since the 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians view it as part of their state along with Gaza, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
In a separate incident on Friday, the Palestinian Authority foreign ministry said settlers had attacked a village near the city of Qalqilya, wounding two people and setting fire to trees and cars. The Israeli military was not immediately available for comment.
According to figures from the Palestinian Authority, 87 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank so far this year, including 21 killed by Israeli settlers. United Nations figures indicate some 850 Palestinians have been wounded in the context of attacks by Israeli settlers since the start of the year.
Essam Saifi, a local leader in the Palestinian Fatah party from Tal, told Reuters in a phone call that about 25 to 30 settlers initially attacked the eastern area of Tal and tried to break into two houses there.
When residents came out to confront them, he said the settlers opened fire before leaving.
Half an hour later, he said they returned and attacked the western part of the town, leading to a chaotic shootout that also involved the Israeli military.
