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!”
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.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered a tepid condemnation of Sukkot, pointing out that lawlessness like the memorial vandalism incident “hinders the IDF from focusing on its missions against terrorism and incitement.”
“The IDF is the sovereign authority in Judea and Samaria and is responsible for implementing the decisions of the political echelon,” the Israeli premier said. “Taking the law into one’s own hands — particularly by public figures — is unacceptable.”
Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, considered Netanyahu’s leading opponent in the run-up to the Oct. 27 election, called Sukkot a “disgrace” and a “violent provocateur who presumes to represent ‘Religious Zionism’” while actually “doing a grave injustice to an entire sector.”
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Eisenkot further heaped blame on Netanyahu for enabling Sukkot and other “anarchists” to “do as they please, endangering security in the settlements and damaging Israel’s standing in the world.”
Polls currently show Eisenkot and his party enjoying a comfortable lead over Netanyahu’s bloc. They have attempted to characterize the governing coalition as inept and misguided in their management of the Palestinian territories, but also affirm that there will not be a Palestinian state.