Far-right lawmaker Zvi Sukkot and several of his aides smashed a Palestinian “Martyrs’ Monument” with sledgehammers in the West Bank village of Madama on Tuesday morning, during a military-escorted tour, drawing criticism from the army and politicians across the spectrum.
Footage first published by Palestinian media showed a soldier standing beside the Religious Zionism MK and the other men as they struck the monument to slain Palestinians, while other troops stood slightly further away beside an army vehicle.
The Israeli military said Sukkot’s trip had been authorized, but that the lawmaker and his aides had acted “deceptively and manipulatively” when they smashed the monument during the tour.
Sukkot later published his own footage of the destruction of the village’s “Martyrs’ Monument,” which commemorates residents of Madama who were killed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including terrorists.
Photos published by Palestinian media after the incident showed that the monument remained standing but had been significantly damaged.
