A member of Israel’s parliament vandalized a memorial to dead Palestinians in the West Bank this week, generating intense backlash from all sides.Lawmaker Zvi Sukkot, a member of the Religious Zionist Party, was taking a military-guided tour in Kafr Madama on Tuesday when he began recording, pulled out a sledgehammer, and repeatedly struck the memorial. He called the violent demonstration just a “small taste” of a larger campaign to destroy all similar memorials in the territory.“Every child who sees every day a giant monument that glorifies murderers of Jews will dream of being a terrorist,” Sukkot said of his actions on social media following the attacks. “There is no place for support of terror in the State of Israel!”
כל ילד שרואה מדי יום אנדרטת ענק שמפארת רוצחי יהודים, יחלום להיות מחבל.יחד עם אנשי הקול היהודי פניתי לצה"ל מספר פעמים בשבועות האחרונים בבקשה שיסירו את אנדרטאות הטרור בכל המרחב כחלק מהמלחמה בטרור, ואני מקווה מאוד שזה יקרה בהקדם האפשרי.בינתיים, טעימה קטנה מהבוקר בכפר מדמא… pic.twitter.com/HPIMzrP3Pa— צבי סוכות (@tzvisuccot) August 25, 2026
Sukkot, who posted images of his demonstration to social media, justified himself by saying he has repeatedly requested the Israel Defense Forces to destroy the monuments because they include the names of deceased individuals linked to Hamas and other terror groups.“I have appealed to the IDF several times in recent weeks with a request to remove the terror monuments throughout the area as part of the war on terror, and I very much hope that this will happen as soon as possible,” he said.The IDF distanced itself from the situation, saying it was not made aware of Sukkot’s intentions before agreeing to guide him on his tour, and that the destruction of the memorial was “contrary to the coordination.”“The participants acted deceitfully and manipulatively, without authority and in complete violation of the approved framework, and began demolishing one of the memorials in the village of Madama,” the IDF said in a statement. “The IDF views the MK’s conduct and lack of coordination as serious, and as an exploitation of the protection provided by security forces in order to act in complete excess of his authority.”Rami Nassar, leader of the Kafr Madama village council, lamented the incident as a signal to fellow Zionist settlers that violence goes unpunished in the West Bank and said it “could fuel even more violent acts against Palestinians.”“When an official Israeli politician acts like this, what can we expect from other radical settlers?” Nassar asked. “It could push them to follow in his footsteps, leading to more raids and causing harm and harassment to residents and their property.”He also disputed Sukkot’s insistence that the memorial would inspire Palestinian children to engage with terrorist ideology, warning that it was the MK’s actions that were more likely to radicalize locals.“Our community wants to live in peace, but what he did is incitement that can make people feel like they’re about to explode from within,” Nassar said. “Violence and escalation need to stop.”People look on a damaged monument in the West Bank village of Madama, which bears the names of Palestinians killed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including some identified by Israel as having been involved in attacks, after far-right Israeli lawmaker Zvi Succot of the Religious Zionism party smashed it, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
