Far-right Israeli lawmaker damages Palestinian memorial with sledgehammer

A far-right member of the Israeli parliament has badly damaged a Palestinian memorial with a sledgehammer in the occupied West Bank while under military escort.

The incident has drawn strong criticism from Palestinians and across the political spectrum in Israel.

Video footage showed Zvi Sukkot, a member of the far-right Religious Zionism party, and several others striking the stone memorial in the Palestinian village of Madama.

In the video, Sukkot - who has a history of provocative anti-Palestinian acts - says: "This is something we cannot leave standing here, because any place that glorifies terrorism, we must remove it."

Rami Nasar, the head of the village council in Madama, said that the monument was erected in 2008 to remember Palestinians killed in the battle of Karameh - a day-long military confrontation between Israeli forces and those of both the PLO and Jordan in 1968.

It also memorialises Palestinians killed in the first and second intifada.

Nasar said it was intended to honour those who had been killed in conflict with Israel, whatever their political affiliation.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its soldiers had been present during the incident. The Israeli military said it had approved a tour of monuments in the area for Sukkot and was providing security.