Far-right Israeli lawmaker destroys Palestinian memorial
25.08.2026,
An ultranationalist Israeli lawmaker has destroyed a memorial in a Palestinian village using a sledgehammer, with video footage showing Knesset member Zvi Sukkot and others being protected by Israeli soldiers as they carried out the act in Madama in the northern West Bank.
Sukkot is a member of the Religious Zionist Party, one of the far-right forces in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition.
Sukkot claims memorial glorified terrorism
According to Palestinians, the memorial honoured "martyrs" from the village, a term used for Palestinians killed in the conflict with Israel, including during Israeli raids and confrontations, as well as in attacks on Israelis.
Sukkot wrote on X on Tuesday that the memorial had glorified terrorists. "Every child who sees every day a giant monument that glorifies murderers of Jews will dream of being a terrorist," he wrote. He said he had repeatedly asked the military in recent weeks to remove such memorials in Palestinian areas, without success.
Army: 'Serious' incident
The military said in response to a query that Sukkot had submitted a request two weeks ago to visit various areas of the West Bank. His outing with his assistants had been guarded that morning by soldiers reassigned from other operations.
Contrary to the agreed arrangements, those involved had behaved "deceptively and manipulatively" and began demolishing the memorial, the military said. On orders from commanders, the incident was stopped and the group was quickly escorted out of the village. The military described it as a serious incident, while also stressing that it regularly acts against "symbols of incitement" in Palestinian areas.
Indirect response from Netanyahu
The military holds "overriding authority" in the West Bank and is responsible for implementing decisions made by the political leadership, a statement issued by Prime Minister Netanyahu said.
"Taking the law into one's own hands, particularly by public figures, is unacceptable and hinders the IDF from focusing on its missions of combating terror and incitement," he said, without referring specifically to the incident.
Opposition politician: 'Belongs behind bars'
Centre-left opposition politician Yair Golan sharply criticized the lawmaker's behaviour, saying Sukkot was trying to provoke a new war. "This is someone who belongs behind bars, not in the Knesset," Golan said in a statement.
"In the coming election, we need to remove the ... extremists from positions of power and put Israel back on track," the leader of the Democrats party and former deputy military chief said. The parliamentary elections are scheduled for two months' time.
The leader of the Yashar! (Honest!) party, Gadi Eisenkot, called Sukkot a "violent provocateur."
Sukkot's "behaviour is a disgrace to anyone who presumes to represent the public and be a leader," Eisenkot stated. "He lied and deceived the IDF and its commanders, harmed security and tarnished the entire State of Israel."
Politicians like Sukkot "must not be allowed to hold the reins of power for another day," Eisenkot wrote.
Sukkot's party, whose leader is far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, could fall short of the 3.25% electoral threshold, according to polls.
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