Israeli lawmaker destroys Palestinian monument with sledgehammer

An Israeli far-right lawmaker, Zvi Sukkot, destroyed a Palestinian monument in the village of Madama in the northern West Bank with a sledgehammer. Video footage showed Israeli soldiers protecting Sukkot and others during the act of vandalism.

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The monument glorified terrorists and incited Palestinian children to terror. I have repeatedly urged the military in recent weeks to remove such monuments in Palestinian territories without success.

Sukkot, a member of the Religious Zionism party, which is part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, claimed the monument glorified terrorists and incited Palestinian children to commit terror. He stated he had repeatedly urged the military to remove such monuments in Palestinian territories without success. Sukkot himself resides in the West Bank as an Israeli settler.

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The monument bore the names of Palestinians who were killed in a clash with Israeli security forces in 1968.

The monument, according to Madama's village chief Rami Nassar, bore the names of Palestinians killed in a 1968 confrontation with Israeli security forces. Sukkot justified his actions on X, asserting that the monument incited violence and that he was taking matters into his own hands after the military failed to act.

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Soldiers were diverted from their actual missions. Sukkot behaved deceptively and began destroying the monument without authorization.

Both the Israeli army and government condemned Sukkot's actions. The army stated that soldiers were misled and diverted from their duties, calling Sukkot's behavior a "deceptive" act performed "without authorization." They emphasized that while they regularly act against "symbols of incitement," Sukkot's actions were an "abuse of protection" outside approved parameters. Prime Minister Netanyahu also criticized Sukkot for using the military for his own purposes, stating that taking the law into one's own hands is unacceptable, especially for public figures.

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Taking the law into one's own hands, especially by public figures, is unacceptable and complicates the situation.