Unidentified gunmen shot and wounded the man near the Palestinian city of Jenin.

The man, who was driving near the Jewish settlement of Navo Dotan, was injured in what the Israeli army described as an ambush-style shooting.

He was admitted to hospital after the attack but his injuries were not said to be life-threatening.

The army has launched a hunt for the attackers.

Deliberate attack

The attack came just hours after a Palestinian man, in an apparent suicide attack, drove his car into a group of Israeli soldiers outside Jerusalem.

The driver was shot dead by Israeli police after twice driving into the group of soldiers.

At least six of the soldiers were injured - one seriously - when the car drove into them on a busy highway west of Jerusalem.

Police officials said they had no doubt that it was a deliberate attack aimed at killing as many soldiers as possible.

The driver was later identified as a 22-year-old Palestinian furniture salesman.

Israeli television said he had acted alone and had a long criminal record.

'End to terror'

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak condemned the attack and added: "[This] action will strengthen our determination to do whatever it takes to put an end to terror and to do it in co-operation with the Palestinian Authority."

Akram Alkam: Shot dead after the attack

Palestinian cabinet minister Jamil Tarifi told the Reuters news agency: "We strongly condemn any attack and we believe that acts of violence do not help build trust between the sides."

According to eyewitnesses, a Fiat with Israeli licence plates drove at high speed into the soldiers, who were standing at Nachshon junction on the busy Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway. It then sped away before returning a few minutes later in a second attack on the same group.