In brief
A far‑right member of Israel’s Knesset, Zvi Sukkot, used a sledgehammer to strike a stone memorial in the Palestinian village of Madama while escorted by Israeli soldiers. The monument commemorates Palestinians killed in the 1968 Battle of Karameh and the intifadas. Despite military presence, Sukkot and other activists acted without authorization, raising questions about settler violence and the IDF’s role. Israeli leaders—including Prime Minister Netanyahu and opposition figure Gadi Eisenkot—decried the incident, while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich blamed the left for misrepresenting the protest.
A far‑right MP struck a Palestinian memorial with a sledgehammer
Zvi Sukkot, a deputy in Israel’s far‑right Religious Zionism faction, was filmed using a sledgehammer to strike a stone memorial in the Palestinian village of Madama while under the watch of Israeli soldiers.
The monument, erected in 2008, commemorates Palestinians who died at the 1968 Battle of Karameh and during the first and second intifadas. According to village council head Rami Nasar, the site honors victims regardless of their political affiliation.
In the video, Sukkot rationalised his action as an attempt to remove a symbol he claimed glorified terrorism: “This is something we cannot leave standing here, because any place that glorifies terrorism, we must remove it.”
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) fighters were present during the incident. Although the army had approved a tour of local monuments for Sukkot, it stated that the parliament member and others had acted deceptively and without authorization. Soldiers eventually halted the assault and escorted the group out of Madama after reporting the event to their commanders.
The episode has added fuel to already high tensions in the West Bank, where settler attacks on Palestinians have intensified in recent months, prompting widespread condemnation from the international community.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement condemning the behaviour: “Taking the law into one's own hands, especially when it involves public figures, is a reprehensible practice that prevents the IDF from focusing on its missions of combating terrorism and incitement to violence.”
Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot called the incident “a disgrace for anyone who claims to represent the public and be a leader” and criticised Netanyahu for allowing “anarchists like Zvi Sukkot” to wreak havoc.
Financing Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who heads the Religious Zionism party, retorted that the left’s rush to condemn Sukkot rather than condemning terrorism itself was misguided.
The most senior Israeli military officer in the West Bank, Major General Avi Bluth, reportedly warned Netanyahu that settler violence could trigger a major escalation.
“It is a responsibility we have to protect all citizens in our borders,” Bluth’s assistant noted.
The incident underscores the fragility of relations in the region, the politicisation of national symbols, and the challenges of maintaining order amid competing narratives of memory and sovereignty.
