REUTERS/Ammar Awad Acquire Licensing RightsRAMALLAH, West Bank, Aug 30 (Reuters) - A Palestinian was killed in a rare clash between Palestinian security forces and gunmen in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, amid uncertainty over the future of Palestinian leadership that has widened internal rifts. Israel has stepped up military raids in Palestinian self-ruled areas of the Israeli-occupied West Bank where Palestinian fighters have become increasingly assertive, challenging the internationally backed Palestinian Authority (PA). Witnesses said a man was killed in the West Bank town of Tulkarm after Palestinian security forces arrived to free up roads to its refugee camp, which gunmen had blocked as a precaution against Israeli incursions. Talal Dweikat, spokesperson for the PA security services, said gunmen had opened fire at the forces, "prompting security forces to intervene, taking necessary measures to restore order". PA security services launched an investigation into the incident and requested an autopsy, the official WAFA news agency reported.

---

Persons: Ammar Awad, Witnesses, Talal Dweikat, Mahmoud Abbas, Ali Sawafta, Nidal al, Jonathan Oatis, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, West Bank, Palestinian, Palestinian Authority, Reuters, U.S, Thomson Locations: Jerusalem, RAMALLAH, West, Palestinian, Israel, Tulkarm, Israeli, Gaza, Oslo, Hebron