In brief
Israeli parliamentarian Zvi Sukkot, of the Religious Zionism party, struck a modest stone memorial in the Palestinian village of Madama with a sledgehammer while under military escort. The memorial commemorates Palestinians killed in 1968’s Battle of Karameh and subsequent uprisings. Video footage shows Sukkot declaring the site a glorification of terror and demanding its removal. The IDF confirmed soldiers were present yet allowed the act, ultimately escorting Sukkot out after reporting the incident. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised the MP’s unilateral actions, while opposition leaders Gadi Eisenkot and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich denounced both Sukkot and the broader settler violence that threatens regional stability.
In a stark display of far‑right extremism, Israeli MP Zvi Sukkot of the Religious Zionism party hammered a stone memorial in Madama, a Palestinian village in the West Bank, with a sledgehammer while under Israeli military escort. The memorial was erected in 2008 to honor Palestinians who fell during the 1968 Battle of Karameh and later intifadas.
According to footage released by Israeli media, Sukkot – who has a long record of provocative anti‑Palestinian acts – shouted, “This is something we cannot leave standing here, because any place that glorifies terrorism, we must remove it,” as he and a small group struck the monument. The camera captured soldiers standing nearby without intervening, a pattern seen in prior settler‑vs‑Palestinian incidents.
The Israel Defence Forces reported that its troops were present during the event, citing that they had authorized a tour of local monuments for Sukkot. However, the IDF said the MP’s actions were “deceptive and without authorisation.” Eventually, the soldiers restrained Sukkot and escorted him out of the village after filing a report.
The act drew swift condemnation across Israel’s political spectrum. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised Sukkot’s “reprehensible” taking of law into his own hands, urging that IDF focus on combating terror. Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot called the violence a disgrace to leadership, while finance minister Bezalel Smotrich directed criticism at the left‑wing opposition’s framing of the incident. In a closed‑door meeting, senior West Bank commander Major General Avi Bluth warned that unchecked settler aggression could ignite a major escalation.
