Israel fire wounds Palestinian in West Bank

Israeli security forces wounded a 19-year-old Palestinian in the leg when they opened fire with live ammunition in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, Palestinian medics said. He was one of a group of young men throwing stones at Israelis manning a checkpoint at Beitunia, near Ramallah, and was taken to hospital in the city, the medics said. They said he was in serious but not life-threatening condition with two gunshot wounds. An Israeli police spokesman said that Palestinians hurled rocks and a petrol bomb at the checkpoint and a policeman was lightly injured. He said he had no knowledge of any Palestinian injured or of shots fired. Palestinians said the clash appeared to be unconnected to an anti-Islamic film which has prompted often violent protests around the Muslim world.