Far-right Israeli lawmaker damages Palestinian memorial with sledgehammer

This video can not be played Watch: Footage shows Sukkot, under military escort, hitting the Palestinian memorial with a sledgehammer A far-right member of the Israeli parliament has badly damaged a Palestinian memorial with a sledgehammer in the occupied West Bank while under military escort. The matter has drawn strong criticism from Palestinians and across the political spectrum in Israel.

Video footage demonstrated Zvi Sukkot, a member of the far-right Religious Zionism party, and several others striking the stone memorial in the Palestinian village of Madama. In the video, Sukkot - who has a history of provocative anti-Palestinian acts - says: "This is something we cannot leave standing here, because any place that glorifies terrorism, we must remove it." Rami Nasar, the head of the village council in Madama, shared that the monument was erected in 2008 to remember Palestinians killed in the battle of Karameh - a day-long military confrontation between Israeli forces and those of both the PLO and Jordan in 1968.

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Core Findings and Detailed Timeline

It also memorialises Palestinians killed in the first and second intifada. Nasar shared it was intended to honour those who had been killed in conflict with Israel, whatever their political affiliation. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) shared its soldiers had been present during the matter.

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The Israeli military shared it had approved a tour of monuments in the area for Sukkot and was providing security. But the IDF shared he and the others involved had acted deceptively and without authorisation. It shared soldiers eventually paused Sukkot and escorted his group out of Madama after reporting the matter to their commanders.

In a number of previous incidents involving settler violence, soldiers have been filmed standing The incident has further raised the temperature in the West Bank, where increasing attacks Madama itself has been the target of several attacks Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has released a statement criticising Sukkot's actions. It read: "Taking the law into one's own hands, especially when it involves public figures, is a reprehensible practice that prevents the IDF from focusing on its missions of combating terrorism and incitement to violence." Netanyahu's main rival in the upcoming general election, Gadi Eisenkot, shared that Sukkot's behaviour was "a disgrace for anyone who claims to represent the public and be a leader".

Broader Implications and Future Outlook

Eisenkot also criticised Netanyahu for "allowing anarchists like Zvi Sukkot and his ilk to do whatever they please, endangering security in the settlements and harming Israel's standing in the world". But finance minister Bezalel Smotrich - who heads the Religious Zionism party to which Sukkot belongs - directed his fiercest criticism at what he called the "frantic rush of the left-wing opposition to condemn Sukkot rather than terrorism itself".