Four Palestinians were stabbed in a town in southern Israel on Friday and an Israeli suspect was arrested, police said.

The stabbings took place in the town of Dimona and were all were believed to have been carried out by the same suspect, police said.

"As of now there are four stabbings," spokeswoman Luba Samri said, adding that the motive appeared to be "nationalistic".

The first man stabbed was a municipal worker who was moderately wounded by the assailant. Another Palestinian was stabbed near a school, she said.

Details of the other two stabbings and the condition of the victims were not immediately clear.

The mayor of Dimona, Benny Biton, told Israel Radio the suspect was a resident of the town who was "known to police".

Three Palestinians have been shot dead and scores injured in clashes with Israeli security services, the unrest and violence have sparked fears of a broader Palestinian uprising and warnings of a third intifada.

On Thursday Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian during clashes in annexed east Jerusalem Thursday on their way to the home of a man accused of an earlier stabbing attack

Four Israelis have been killed in stabbings in Jerusalem and a drive-by shooting in the occupied West Bank since last week, and there have been several such attacks by Palestinians within Israel that caused injuries but no fatalities.

Israeli authorities have vowed to crack down on the Palestinian attacks while warning citizens against carrying out reprisals against Arabs.

On Thursday, Jerusalem's mayor and mayors in other cities urged residents who have gun licenses to carry their weapons with them, a call that prompted some politicians to warn against vigilantism.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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