MK Smashes Terrorist Monuments in West Bank

Knesset member Tzvi Sukkot, chairman of the Education Committee and the Judea and Samaria Affairs Subcommittee, used a sledgehammer on Tuesday to destroy monuments honoring terrorists in the Palestinian villages of Madama and Burin, near the Jewish community of Yitzhar. Sukkot stated he took matters into his own hands after the defense establishment failed to act on his requests to remove the structures. The monuments commemorated individuals involved in past terror attacks against Israelis. IDF officials clarified that plans were already in place to legally demolish the monuments in the coming weeks. The act drew sharp criticism from across the political spectrum. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the move as vigilantism, stating that taking the law into one's own hands is unacceptable. Naftali Bennett, Gadi Eisenkot, and Gideon Sa’ar also criticized the action, describing it as harmful to Israel's security and international standing. Within his own Religious Zionist Party, MK Ohad Tal questioned the strategy, and party leader Bezalel Smotrich reprimanded Sukkot, demanding he act only within the bounds of his official authority.