WEST BANK: Israeli extremists lawmaker Zvi Sukkot and several associates damaged a Palestinian memorial in the West Bank village of Madama on August 25.
The incident took place during a military-escorted visit to the village. Extremists Sukkot and his associates reportedly used hammers to damage the monument.
Footage released by Palestinian media showed an Israeli soldier standing near Sukkot while other people struck the memorial. Additional soldiers were also visible nearby.
Israeli Military Objects to the Incident
The Israeli military said Sukkot had received permission to visit the area.
However, it criticized the way the monument was damaged. According to the military, Sukkot and his aides acted with “deception and manipulation” during the incident.
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Palestinian media later released photographs of the memorial. The images showed that the monument remained standing but had suffered significant damage.
Extremists Sukkot Defends His Actions
Extremists Sukkot later released a video showing the damage to the monument. He said the Israeli army had failed to remove monuments in the West Bank that commemorate Palestinians accused of attacking Israelis.
The lawmaker claimed that he had previously asked the army to take action against such monuments.
Sukkot argued that people who harmed Jews and Israeli soldiers should not be commemorated as heroes.
He also called on the army to remove all monuments in the West Bank that he described as “terrorist monuments.”
Palestinian Names on the Memorial
The Madama monument honors several Palestinians who were killed during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
According to Sukkot, some of those commemorated at the site were accused of involvement in attacks against Israeli citizens.
The hardline lawmaker specifically named Yaman Tayeb Ali Faraj. He claimed that Faraj was involved in a suicide bombing in central Israel in 2003.
Sukkot also mentioned Shadi Nasser. He claimed that Nasser was involved in an attack in the West Bank in 2002.
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The incident has added to tensions surrounding Palestinian memorials and Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank.
