Zvi Sukkot damaged a Palestinian memorial in the West Bank with a sledgehammer, drawing criticism from the Israeli government and military.
Zvi Sukkot, a member of the far-right Religious Zionism party, damaged a Palestinian memorial in the village of Madama using a sledgehammer. The incident occurred under the military escort of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which had approved a tour of the area for Sukkot. However, the IDF reported that Sukkot and his group acted without authorization by pulling hammers from their vehicle to strike the monument, which was intended to honor Palestinians allegedly killed in the1968 battle of Karameh and the first and second intifadas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office criticized Sukkot's actions as a reprehensible practice of taking the law into one's own hands. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who heads Sukkot's party, defended the action while criticizing the left-wing opposition's rush to condemn it. Sukkot stated that his actions caused little international damage, noting that only Turkey and Iraq condemned him. The IDF has issued a directive to limit MK tours during the election period to ensure operational preparedness is not sacrificed for campaign purposes.