Israeli lawmaker Zvi Sukkot smashed a Palestinian memorial in Madama village, northern West Bank, under military escort on August 25. Footage shows Sukkot using a sledgehammer to destroy the monument commemorating "martyrs" with soldiers standing nearby. The Israeli army condemned the incident, stating that Sukkot's actions were unauthorized and misused security forces for personal gain. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also denounced the act as "a reprehensible practice" that distracts from Israel's efforts against terrorism.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-25,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On August 25, Israeli lawmaker Zvi Sukkot, under military escort, smashed a Palestinian memorial in the village of Madama in the occupied West Bank using a sledgehammer. The monument, which was erected in 2008, honored Palestinians killed in various conflicts with Israel, including the 1968 battle of Karameh and the first and second intifadas. Sukkot claimed that he was removing a "monument commemorating terrorists" but his actions drew criticism from both Palestinian leaders and Israeli politicians, including Major General Avi Bluth, who warned that such provocations could lead to further escalation.
Written for “Israeli Lawmaker Incident” on 2026-08-31,
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Leaning score -0.35 for article 2173 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-08-27
Israeli lawmaker under army escort smashes Palestinian memorial
AI generated
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lawmaker → smash → memorial
A far-right Israeli lawmaker took a sledgehammer to a Palestinian memorial in the occupied West Bank on Aug 25 while under military escort, a move that was later condemned both by the army and Israeli politicians.
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that → take → army
Footage circulating online showed Zvi Sukkot, who is also a settler and activist, smashing a monument commemorating “martyrs” in the Palestinian village of Madama in the northern West Bank, while soldiers stood nearby.
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soldiers → circulate → Bank
“A few days ago, I demanded that the military take action to remove the monuments commemorating terrorists in the murderers’ villages of Madama and Burin.
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military → demand → Madama
Unfortunately, they remained in place.
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they → remain → place
So I went there myself and took action to remove them,” Sukkot posted on Facebook, along with a video of the act.
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Sukkot → go → act
When contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said Sukkot and his aides had conducted a “tour” of the area “with security provided by IDF soldiers who had been diverted from their operational activities for this purpose”.
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who → contact → purpose
“Contrary to the agreed-upon coordination, the participants acted deceptively and manipulatively, without authorisation, departing entirely from the approved framework, and began demolishing one of the monuments in Madama,” it added.
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it → agree → Madama
It said soldiers reported the incident to their commanders, who told them to stop the activity and “the participants were quickly escorted out of the village”.
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participants → say → village
The military said it viewed Sukkot’s actions “with the utmost severity”, adding they “constituted a misuse of the protection provided by security forces to act entirely outside the scope of the approved framework”.
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misuse → say → framework
In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military “is the sovereign authority in Judea and Samaria”, using the Biblical term for the West Bank.
“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 combatting terrorism and incitement to violence,” he added.
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he → say → violence
The filmed act took place as Israel prepares for elections on Oct 27, and also drew condemnation from Gadi Eisenkot, who has emerged as the principal challenger to Netanyahu.
“Zvi Sukkot – like any other Knesset member – is not the sovereign in the territories of Judea and Samaria,” he wrote on X.
“Netanyahu... is allowing anarchists like Zvi Sukkot and his ilk to do as they please, endangering security in the settlements and damaging Israel’s standing in the world,” he added.
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he → film → world
Rami Nassar, the head of Madama’s village council, told AFP the memorial at the centre of the village included the names of those killed in a 1968 battle, the first and second intifadas, and up until the present day.
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memorial → tell → day
Israel often accuses the Palestinians of glorifying attacks on Israelis.
Violence in the West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967, has surged since the Gaza war began with Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023, attack on Israel. AFP
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war → accuse → Israel
