A member of Israel’s far-right Religious Zionism party damaged a Palestinian stone memorial in the village of Madama in the occupied West Bank using a sledgehammer, according to video evidence. The incident occurred while the lawmaker was under Israeli military escort. The memorial, erected in 2008, commemorates Palestinians killed in the 1968 Battle of Karameh and those who died during the first and second intifada, regardless of their political affiliation, according to the village council head.
The lawmaker justified the destruction by stating that monuments glorifying what he characterized as terrorism should not remain standing. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed its soldiers were present at the site, having approved a tour of monuments in the area and providing security. However, the military said the lawmaker and others acted without authorization and deceptively. IDF soldiers subsequently stopped the group and escorted them out of the village after reporting the incident to commanders.
The incident drew condemnation from multiple Israeli political figures. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office criticized the destruction as a reprehensible act of taking the law into one’s own hands. Netanyahu’s political rival, Gadi Eisenkot, called the behavior a disgrace and accused Netanyahu of failing to prevent such actions. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who heads the same party as the lawmaker, instead directed criticism at what he termed the opposition’s focus on condemning the act rather than addressing what he called terrorism.
The episode occurs amid escalating tensions in the West Bank, where settler violence against Palestinians has intensified in recent months and drawn international concern. Madama has been targeted by settlers on previous occasions. A senior Israeli military officer was reported to have warned Netanyahu in a recent meeting that mounting settler violence could trigger a significant escalation in the region.
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