Far‑Right Israeli MP Strikes Palestinian Memorial With Sledgehammer, Sparks Outcry

Zvi Sukkot, a far‑right lawmaker from the Religious Zionism party, filmed on video striking a stone memorial in the Palestinian village of Madama in the occupied West Bank with a sledgehammer. The memorial, erected in 2008, marks Palestinians killed during the 1968 Battle of Karameh and during the first and second intifada.

Sukkot declared that the monument glorifies terrorism and must be removed, a claim that has drawn sharp criticism from Palestinians, who regard it as a remembrance of community members, and from Israeli politicians across the spectrum.

The Israeli Defence Forces admitted that its soldiers were present during the incident, but said they had no authority to permit the MP to visit the site. Soldiers later escorted Sukkot and his associates away from the memorial after the IDF received a report of the violation.

The attack has intensified the already fraught situation in the West Bank, where settler‑led violence has increased in recent months and prompted international condemnation. Netanyahu’s office condemned Sukkot’s actions, while his political rivals and within his own party criticized the MP’s behaviour and the broader refusal of the government to curb settler aggression.

A senior West Bank military officer warned that mounting settler violence could spark a major escalation, emphasizing the urgency for coordinated action to prevent further unrest.