World News
Far-right Israeli lawmaker damages Palestinian memorial in West Bank
Zvi Sukkot used a sledgehammer to strike a monument in Madama while under military escort, drawing criticism from Israeli officials.
The short version
- Israeli lawmaker Zvi Sukkot damaged a Palestinian memorial in the West Bank village of Madama with a sledgehammer while accompanied by an IDF security detail.
- The Israel Defense Forces stated soldiers intervened and escorted the group out after Sukkot acted deceptively and without authorization.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office and opposition leaders criticized the act, while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich defended Sukkot against opposition pushback.
- The incident comes amid growing concerns from Israeli military officials that rising settler violence could provoke a broader escalation in the West Bank.
Key facts
- Far-right Israeli parliament member Zvi Sukkot and several others used a sledgehammer to damage a Palestinian stone memorial in Madama.[BBC News]
- According to Madama village council head Rami Nasar, the monument was erected in 2008 to honor Palestinians killed during the 1968 battle of Karameh as well as the first and second intifadas.[BBC News]
- The IDF stated that soldiers were assigned to provide security for an approved tour of local monuments, but Sukkot operated without authorization before being stopped and removed from the village.[BBC News]
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office condemned the incident, stating that public figures taking the law into their own hands hinders IDF operations.[BBC News]
- Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich defended Sukkot by criticizing opposition politicians for condemning the lawmaker rather than focusing on terrorism.[BBC News]
What remains uncertain
- Reports that Major General Avi Bluth warned Prime Minister Netanyahu about rising settler violence causing a major escalation were based on closed-door meeting details reported by Israeli media.[BBC News]