JERUSALEM, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli soldier was lightly injured on Friday in a car-ramming carried out by a Palestinian driver near a holy site in the Jordan Valley, a military spokesperson said.

The driver was arrested and taken for questioning, the spokesperson said.

The incident took place near Qasr al-Yahud, a baptism site in the West Bank's Jordan Valley.

According to the spokesperson, the driver was denied entry to the site, where Orthodox Christians were marking the day as the feast of Epiphany, or the baptism of Jesus, with a traditional ritual.

The suspect then accelerated his car, slamming it towards Israeli soldiers in a nearby post.

"As a result, one soldier was wounded and he is receiving medical care at the site," the spokesperson said.

The incident came amidst an escalation between Israel and the Palestinians in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

East Jerusalem, along with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, was seized by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.