The Qasr Al-Yahud baptism site in the Jordan Valley. Photo: High Contrast via Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – An Israeli soldier was lightly wounded in an attempted car-ramming terror attack near the Qasr Al-Yahud baptism site in the Jordan Valley on Friday.

The incident came a day after hundreds of Orthodox Christian pilgrims re-enacted the baptism of Jesus at 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, with the terrorist refusing to heed the soldiers’ instructions and driving 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.”