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Far-right Israeli lawmaker Zvi Sukkot and several aides smashed a Palestinian monument with a sledgehammer in the occupied West Bank village of Madama near Nablus on Tuesday while Israeli troops provided security during an army-approved tour, according to footage and statements from Sukkot and the Israeli military.
The Israeli army said the visit itself had been authorized but accused Sukkot and his aides of acting “deceptively and manipulatively” by demolishing the monument without permission and in violation of the approved framework.
Social media footage showed Sukkot and three others at the monument, with members of the group striking it with a sledgehammer. Sukkot was also seen filming the demolition on his phone.
Israeli soldiers carrying rifles were visible guarding the group, while a military vehicle blocked the road.
The monument appeared to commemorate members of the Al-Aqsa Brigades and Palestinians killed during the Intifada.
The Israeli military said Sukkot had requested permission on Aug. 12 to conduct what he called a “tour of monuments” in the West Bank villages of Beita, Burin and Madama, located in Areas A and B.
The tour was conducted under the protection of Israeli troops who had been diverted from regular operational duties for the mission, the military said.
“Contrary to the coordination, the participants acted deceptively and manipulatively, without authority and in complete violation of the approved outline, and began demolishing one of the memorials in the village of Madama,” the army said.
According to the military, soldiers who saw the demolition contacted their commanders and were instructed to stop the tour and remove Sukkot and his aides from the village.
The footage circulated online did not show soldiers intervening.
An Israeli military spokesperson told The Jerusalem Post that the troops had not been accompanied by a photographer because such assignments do not normally require one, meaning the military could not provide footage showing the intervention.
The army said the tour had diverted forces that were assigned to operational missions in the area and had “unnecessarily put them at risk” while the military was under operational strain.
It described Sukkot’s conduct and lack of coordination as serious and said he had exploited the security protection provided to him to act beyond his authority.
The military added that it regularly demolishes memorials and symbols it considers to constitute incitement, subject to the required approvals and coordination with the civil administration, and said another such operation was planned soon.
Sukkot defended the demolition in a post on the U.S.-based social media platform X, saying he had previously asked the Israeli military several times to remove what he described as “terror monuments throughout the area.”
“Every child who sees every day a giant monument that glorifies murderers of Jews will dream of being a terrorist,” Sukkot wrote.
He described the demolition in Madama as “a small taste” and suggested similar actions could follow.
“There is no place for support of terror in the State of Israel!” he added.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the incident, saying Sukkot “is not the sovereign in the territories of Judea and Samaria” and that decisions there must be made by the state together with security forces.
“This is also what public representatives should convey to the public. Regrettably, MK Sukkot knowingly did the exact opposite,” Saar said.
Yair Golan, leader of The Democrats, said Sukkot “should be behind bars and bolts, not in the Knesset of Israel,” and accused him of contributing to the diversion of Israeli military forces to the West Bank on the eve of the Oct. 7 attack.
Golan also called for what he described as “Kahanists and messianists” to be removed from positions of power in the next elections, accusing them of seeking “eternal war.”
Sukkot responded by threatening Golan with a lawsuit unless the post was removed within half an hour.
The Democrats' lawmaker Gilad Kariv also criticized Sukkot and the military’s involvement, saying the army had previously rejected repeated requests to escort him to Kusra because it lacked available forces.
“It turns out there are available forces to escort the arsonist to the heart of a Palestinian village,” Kariv wrote.
He also referred to a reported warning from the Israeli Central Command commander that “just one match” could ignite the West Bank.
About two weeks earlier, protests broke out during a visit by Sukkot to the city of Rahat as part of a parliamentary committee inspection tour accompanied by police and Knesset security personnel.
Residents called Sukkot a provocateur and protested his presence.
On July 15, 2026, Sukkot also entered a Palestinian school in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem and damaged the school’s sign.
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