MK Zvi Sukkot (Religious Zionist Party) confirmed he had destroyed a monument in Kafr Madama near Nablus, after footage circulated on social media and was shared by Israeli outlets on Tuesday morning.
"Every child who sees every day a giant monument that glorifies murderers of Jews will dream of being a terrorist," Sukkot said in a post to X/Twitter.
He claimed that he had taken action after appealing to the IDF several times to remove the "terror monuments throughout the area," and that destroying the monument in the village was"a small taste."
“There is no place for support of terror in the State of Israel!" he wrote.
Sukkot can also be seen filming the incident on his personal phone, while someone else struck the monument with a sledgehammer. Israeli forces can be seen guarding the MK and those accompanying him in the footage, with a military vehicle blocking the street.
The IDF confirmed that it had diverted troops from standard operational duties to guard Sukkot and his aides on what he called a 'memorial tour' in several villages in Areas A and B in the West Bank.
"Contrary to the coordination, the participants acted deceitfully and manipulatively, without authority and in complete violation of the approved framework, and began demolishing one of the memorials in the village of Madama,” the IDF stated, claiming the soldiers spoke with their commanders after seeing what was happening, and were instructed to intervene and remove the group from the village.
“The IDF views the MK's conduct and lack of coordination as serious, and as an exploitation of the protection provided by security forces in order to act in complete excess of his authority,” the military added, while emphasizing that the IDF does regularly demolish memorials and symbols of incitement with required approvals and in coordination with the Civil Administration.
The footage shared did not show soldiers intervening.
The Jerusalem Post reached out to RZP for clarification.
Golan calls for Sukkot's arrest following incident
"This is a person who should be behind bars and bolts, not in the Knesset of Israel," The Democrats leader Yair Golan wrote, stating that Sukkot is the reason the IDF was diverted to the West Bank on the eve of the October 7 massacre.
"In the upcoming elections, the Kahanists and messianists must be removed from centers of power, and Israel returned to its track. They want eternal war. We will fight for a secure, democratic, and sane state," he stated.
MK Gilad Kariv (The Democrats) decried Sukkot's actions and the IDF's involvement, stating the military had denied consistent requests to escort him to Kusra, citing a lack of available forces.
"It turns out there are available forces to escort the arsonist to the heart of a Palestinian village," he wrote. "Just yesterday, it was reported that the Central Command's commander warned that it would take just one match to ignite the West Bank. Tzvi Sukkot charges into the role with glee."
Protest breaks out in Rahat during Sukkot's visit
About two weeks ago, clashes broke out in Rahat during an official visit by Sukkot to the city as part of an oversight tour by the Knesset committee, accompanied by police and Knesset security personnel.
During the tour, residents shouted insults at Sukkot, including calling him "a complete zero" and asking, "What do you have to teach our children?" He was called a "provocateur" and told, "In Rahat? Go teach yourself."
The visit was part of a series of oversight tours by the Education Committee across the country, aimed at closely examining the activities of educational institutions, the implementation of committee decisions, and the education system’s handling of challenges including violence, crime, and incitement.
Despite attempts to disrupt and protest the visit, it took place under reinforced security, and Sukkot continued with his planned schedule.