Netanyahu Coalition Faces Backlash Over West Bank Incident

Opposition criticism continued Tuesday following an incident in the village of Kafr Maadma, with former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Knesset member Gadi Eisenkot issuing sharp rebukes against MK Zvi Sukkot. Both accused Sukkot of damaging Israel's security and international standing, while directing blame toward Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

"The chaos government harms Israel's security and Israel's standing in the world to rack up TikTok views, terrorism is fought with actions, not pathetic provocations," Bennett said in response to the incident.

Bennett also linked the episode to the ongoing military draft debate, attacking both Smotrich and Sukkot: "It wasn't enough for Smotrich and Sukkot to be the architects of the draft evasion law and abandon IDF fighters alone under fire, now they're also interfering with their missions and endangering their lives for campaign videos."

He then turned his criticism toward Netanyahu and the coalition: "Netanyahu knows they're bringing Israel to unprecedented lows, but he can't do anything because he has no government without Ben Gvir and the anti-Zionist ultra-Orthodox parties."

Bennett concluded with a promise: "The damage they've done will take years to repair, but everything they've destroyed, we will fix."

Eisenkot also issued a particularly harsh statement against Sukkot. "Zvi Sukkot's behavior is a disgrace to someone who purports to represent a public and be a leader. He lied and misled the IDF and its commanders, harmed security, and stained the entire State of Israel," he wrote.

Eisenkot continued: "The violent provocateur who purports to represent 'Religious Zionism' does injustice to an entire sector."

He too directed responsibility toward Netanyahu: "Netanyahu, who dismantled through a coalition agreement the system that enabled security and governance in the West Bank, allows anarchists like Zvi Sukkot and his ilk to do whatever they please, endangers security in the settlements, and harms Israel's standing in the world."

"They must not be allowed to hold the steering wheel of power for one more day," Eisenkot concluded.

The criticism stems from Sukkot's actions in the West Bank village of Kafr Maadma. The Knesset member entered the village with his aides as part of a "memorial tour" secured by IDF forces, during which he was filmed destroying a "martyrs' memorial." The monument had been erected in honor of Yaman Faraj, commander of the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades (the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terror organization) who was killed by the IDF.

An IDF spokesperson said following the incident that participants deviated from the approved route and acted "in a deceitful and manipulative manner, without authorization and in complete contradiction to the approved route." The military also stated that forces designated for operational missions were diverted to secure the tour and were "mobilized unnecessarily."