A man from the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar shot and wounded a Palestinian man on Saturday in a clash that began when a group of settlers set fire to fields belonging to a Palestinian village, officials said.

Residents said about 25 settlers, some of them carrying guns, set fire to wheat fields in the village of Orif, which is near the northern West Bank city of Nablus.

Some villagers came out to extinguish the fire and clashed with the settlers, said Nablus official Kassan Daglas.

During the clash, a settler shot and wounded one Palestinian, the IDF said, adding that security forces were sent to the scene to break up the violence.

"The Israel Defense Forces regards this incident as severe and will thoroughly investigate it," the spokesman said.

The Palestinian man was shot in the stomach and taken to the hospital, Palestinian medical officials said.

The IDF is investigating a similar incident from last week in which a video distributed by non-governmental group B’Tselem appeared to show a settler shooting and wounding a Palestinian during a confrontation with rock-throwing Palestinians, as soldiers stood by. (© 1995-2011, The Jerusalem Post 05/27/12)