Settlers, Palestinians clash after memorial for boy killed by terrorist

At least 17 people were wounded Wednesday during clashes between dozens of settlers from Bat Ayin and Palestinians in a nearby West Bank village.

This comes a week after a 13-year-old boy from Bat Ayin was killed by an axe-wielding Palestinian terrorist.

Sixteen Palestinians were wounded, one seriously, and one Israeli was lightly hurt by a stone.

The violence erupted following a prayer service in memory of the boy, Shlomo Nativ, which drew hundreds of mourners. After the service, some participants headed toward the neighboring village of Safa, smashing car windows and damaging homes, residents and medics said. They were accompanied by Israeli troops.

Safa village residents said about 200 people, some of them carrying weapons, entered the village.

The settlers and Palestinians threw stones at each other.

The soldiers fired rubber bullets, live bullets and tear gas grenades at the Palestinians, injuring 16. One was seriously injured and taken to hospital in Hebron. One Israeli was hurt lightly by a stone.

There was no report of any arrests of Israelis.

An IDF spokeswoman said the Palestinians had sparked the violence by throwing stones at the settlers. She said soldiers fired live bullets at the legs of some stone throwers.

Meanwhile, security forces are still looking for the assailant who killed Nativ.

In another incident on Wednesday, a soldier shot and lightly wounded a Palestinian after he tried to snatch a soldier's weapon at a checkpoint near Ramallah. An ambulance took the Palestinian to a hospital in Ramallah. No soldiers were wounded.

Israel has imposed a full closure on the West Bank since Passover eve, over concerns that terrorists may try to take advantage of the holiday to carry out an attack. The number of attempted attacks has risen sharply in the past month, both in the West Bank and within the Green Line.