Far-right Israeli lawmaker Zvi Sukkot has damaged a Palestinian memorial with a sledgehammer in the occupied West Bank village of Madama. The memorial, erected in 2008, honors Palestinians killed in various conflicts with Israel. According to video footage, Sukkot stated that the monument "glorifies terrorism" and needed to be removed. The Israeli military said its soldiers were present during the incident but stopped Sukkot and his group from continuing their actions.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-26,
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,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
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any place that glorifies terrorism, we must remove it.
right Sukkot's framing of the memorial as 'glorifying terrorism'
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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.
right Netanyahu's office criticising Sukkot for taking the law into his own hands
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a disgrace for anyone who claims to represent the public and be a leader
right Eisenkot's criticism of Sukkot's behaviour
Leaning score +0.65 for article 2531 (high confidence, 3 verified quotes) · logged 2026-08-27
- Published
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.
asserted
member → publish → escort
The incident has drawn strong criticism from Palestinians and across the political spectrum in Israel.
asserted
incident → draw → Israel
Video footage showed Zvi Sukkot, a member of the far-right Religious Zionism party, and several others striking the stone memorial in the Palestinian village of Madama.
asserted
Sukkot → show → 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."
asserted
we → have → it
Rami Nasar, the head of the village council in Madama, said 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.
asserted
monument → say → 1968
It also memorialises Palestinians killed in the first and second intifada.
asserted
It → memorialise → intifada
Nasar said it was intended to honour those who had been killed in conflict with Israel, whatever their political affiliation.
asserted
affiliation → say → Israel
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its soldiers had been present during the incident.
asserted
soldiers → say → incident
The Israeli military said it had approved a tour of monuments in the area for Sukkot and was providing security.
asserted
it → say → security
But the IDF said he and the others involved had acted deceptively and without authorisation.
asserted
he → say → authorisation
It said soldiers eventually stopped Sukkot and escorted his group out of Madama after reporting the incident to their commanders.
asserted
soldiers → say → commanders
In a number of previous incidents involving settler violence, soldiers have been filmed standing by without intervening.
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soldiers → involve → violence
The incident has further raised the temperature in the West Bank, where increasing attacks by settlers on Palestinians in recent months have drawn international condemnation.
asserted
attacks → raise → condemnation
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has issued a statement criticising Sukkot's actions.
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office → issue → 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."
asserted
that → read → violence
Netanyahu's main rival in the upcoming general election, Gadi Eisenkot, said that Sukkot's behaviour was "a disgrace for anyone who claims to represent the public and be a leader".
uncertain
who → say → public
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".
asserted
they → criticise → 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".
asserted
he → head → terrorism
On Monday, the most senior Israeli military officer in the West Bank, Major General Avi Bluth, was reported by Israeli media to have told Netanyahu in a closed-door meeting that the mounting violence by settlers could ignite a major escalation.
uncertain
violence → report → escalation
