Far‑Right Israeli Legislator Destroys Palestinian Memorial Under Military Escort

RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories — A far‑right Israeli lawmaker, accompanied by an army escort, smashed a Palestinian memorial in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, an act that drew criticism from both the military and Israeli politicians.
Footage circulating online showed Zvi Sukkot, who is also a settler and activist, striking a monument that honors “martyrs” in the village of Madama in the northern West Bank while soldiers stood nearby.
“A few days earlier I asked the army to remove the monuments that commemorate terrorists in the villages of Madama and Burin. When nothing was done, I went myself and took action to eliminate them,” Sukkot wrote on Facebook, posting a video of the demolition.
When approached by AFP, the Israeli military said Sukkot and his aides conducted a “tour” of the area with security provided by IDF soldiers who had been pulled from their regular duties for this purpose.
“Contrary to the agreed coordination, the participants acted deceptively and without authorization, straying from the approved framework and began demolishing one of the monuments in Madama,” the statement added.
It noted that soldiers reported the incident to their commanders, who ordered them to halt the activity and swiftly escorted the group out of the village.
The military said it regarded Sukkot’s actions “with the utmost severity,” emphasizing that they constituted a misuse of the protection afforded by security forces to operate outside the approved mandate.
The filmed act took place as Israel prepares for elections on October 27, although even several fellow right‑wing lawmakers distanced themselves from the incident.
“Zvi Sukkot — like any other Knesset member — is not the sovereign in the territories of Judea and Samaria,” Foreign Minister Gideon Saar posted on X, using the Biblical term for the West Bank.
Gadi Eisenkot, who has become the main challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming elections, condemned the act.
“Zvi Sukkot’s behavior is a disgrace to anyone who claims to represent the public and serve as a leader,” he wrote on X.
“Netanyahu … is allowing anarchists like Zvi Sukkot and his ilk to act as they please, jeopardizing security in the settlements and harming Israel’s standing worldwide,” he added.
Rami Nassar, head of Madama’s village council, told AFP that the memorial at the village’s center lists the names of those killed in the 1968 battle, during the first and second intifadas, and up to the present day.
Israel frequently accuses Palestinians of glorifying attacks on Israelis.
Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has escalated since the Gaza war began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

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