JERUSALEM, Dec. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Israel temporarily shut down a checkpoint linking Jerusalem and the West Bank on Friday where an Israeli soldier was stabbed to death by a Palestinian on Thursday,Israel's Army Radio said.

    The Qalandiya checkpoint between Jerusalem and the West Bankcity of Ramallah was the scene where the 20-year-old soldier was stabbed in the neck by a Palestinian.

    The assailant was later arrested.

    The shutdown came as Israel resumed air strikes in the northern Gaza Strip, killing at least three Palestinian militants in response to a suicide bombing attack which killed five Israelis in Netanya on Monday.

    Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz has ordered the army to take harsh military measures to strike back, including the resumption of targeted killings against Palestinian militants.

    A nine-month truce between Israel and the Palestinians threatened to unravel following the spiralling violence, which also dashed hopes to revive the long-stalled peace talks raised by Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in mid-September. Enditem