IDF says Sukkot and aides acted ‘deceptively and manipulatively’ in smashing monument

The Israeli military says MK Zvi Sukkot’s trip to the West Bank village of Madama this morning, during which he and his aides smashed a monument while under IDF protection, had been approved. However, the army says that Sukkot and aides acted “deceptively and manipulatively” when they smashed the village’s “Martyrs’ Monument” amid the tour.

In response to the incident, the IDF says that on August 12, Sukkot submitted a request to conduct a “tour of monuments” in the villages of Beita, Burin, and Madama, located in areas A and B of the West Bank.

“This morning, the MK and his aides conducted the ‘tour of monuments’ under the security of IDF troops who were diverted from their duties for this mission,” the military says.

“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 says.

The IDF says that when troops saw what was happening, they notified their commanders, who then instructed the forces to halt the tour and take the MK and his aides out of the village.

The military does not explain why it had approved the tour to begin with, which it claims diverted troops that had been “assigned to operational missions in the area,” and also “unnecessarily put them at risk, while the IDF is under operational strain.”

“The IDF views the conduct and lack of coordination by the MK gravely, and as an exploitation of the security provided by the security forces for a complete overstepping of authority,” the military says.

The IDF adds that it “regularly demolishes memorials and symbols of incitement,” subject to relevant approvals, and that it was planning another such operation soon. “This is an important activity in the fight against terrorism and incitement to terrorism.”