(SeaPRwire) – By: Julian Holbrooke
The sledgehammer’s blows against Madama’s memorial weren’t just an act of vandalism. They were a deliberate provocation, a signal from Israel’s far-right that it can rewrite West Bank history with impunity—while the IDF stands idly by. This isn’t a one-off mistake. It’s a window into the rot at the core of Israel’s occupation policy, where extremist lawmakers dictate on-the-ground actions and military denials ring hollow to anyone paying attention.
The official story from the IDF is straightforward. Zvi Sukkot, a far-right lawmaker from the Religious Zionist party with a long history of confrontations with Palestinians, requested military protection for a routine tour of West Bank villages. He deceived troops, pulling out a sledgehammer to smash a memorial honoring Palestinians killed in conflicts over the past century. The IDF claims the incident was unauthorized and unanticipated. Sukkot, for his part, argues the memorial “glorified terrorism” and could radicalize local children who grow up seeing it. But the video he posted online tells a different tale: his military escort stood meters away, watching without intervening as he struck the stone again and again.
Locals in Madama don’t buy the IDF’s claim of innocence. They point to a years-long pattern of confrontations with Israeli troops and settlers. Just hours before Sukkot arrived, army patrols swept through the village, firing tear gas and stun grenades that woke sleeping residents. This wasn’t a random patrol. It was a show of force, a way to intimidate locals before the lawmaker’s visit. The memorial, to them, isn’t a symbol of terror. It’s a tribute to their ancestors, a reminder of lives lost to decades of occupation. Sukkot’s act wasn’t about fighting terrorism. It was about erasing their identity, and the IDF let it happen without lifting a finger.
The geopolitical pendulum in the West Bank is swinging hard toward extremism. This stunt won’t be the last. Far-right lawmakers will feel emboldened to act without consequence, and settlers will take it as a green light to escalate attacks on Palestinian villages. The IDF’s denial isn’t just a lie to the international community. It’s an admission that it can’t—or won’t—rein in the extremist elements shaping Israel’s policy in the occupied territories. The next act of violence is already on the horizon, and the world will have no one to blame but those who let this impunity fester.
Author bio: Julian Holbrooke, an overseas international relations analyst who frequently contributes to major European daily newspapers.