Ramallah - A Palestinian wearing what appeared to be a suicide vest attacked Israeli border police in the occupied West Bank on Friday before being shot, AFP photos showed.

The man attacked the police during clashes near a military checkpoint on the outskirts of the town of Ramallah.

He was wearing what looked like a suicide vest, though it was unclear whether it was operational.

A video posted online showed the border police officers shooting him three times.

Police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld said in a statement the assailant stabbed an officer twice before being shot.

They said they had launched an investigation "looking into reports that the suspect had an explosive device on him or a fake explosive device".

It said they were also investigating "if the suspect was dressed as a journalist", enabling him to get close to the officers.

The pictures did not show him wearing a press vest.

The assailant, identified by a medical source as a 24-year-old from Hebron in the southern West Bank, was taken to hospital by Palestinian medics.

He was in a critical condition, the source said.