An Israeli soldier was lightly wounded in a ramming attack near the Qasr Al-Yahud baptism site in the Jordan Valley on Friday.
The attack came a day after hundreds of Orthodox Christian pilgrims re-enacted the baptism of Jesus in the same spot on the Jordan River.
The wounded soldier was treated at the scene by a Magen David Adom emergency medical team and did not require hospitalization.
The Palestinian driver was quickly detained. The IDF classed the incident as an attempted terrorist attack.
According to reports, the driver had approached the baptism site in his vehicle and was stopped by soldiers manning a security checkpoint. The driver demanded to be let in and an altercation erupted. The driver refused to heed the soldiers' instructions and drove through the checkpoint. He then hit a combat soldier patrolling the site.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit issued a statement Friday saying, "An attempted terrorist ramming attack occurred a short while ago near the baptism site in Qasr Al-Yahud in the Jordan Valley. A Palestinian vehicle denied permission to enter rammed into IDF forces near the site, and a soldier was lightly hurt as a result. The troops apprehended the assailant and he is being questioned on site."
Despite the stormy weather over the past week, hundreds of Christian pilgrims have frequented the site in recent days, requiring the presence of checkpoints and patrols to ensure their safety.
