Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich addressed the controversy Tuesday surrounding the destruction of a memorial in the village of Madma by Knesset member Tzvi Succot. Smotrich said the memorial should have been removed long ago, but stressed that actions of this kind must be carried out exclusively by the Israel Defense Forces.
"The State of Israel should have dismantled long ago the terror memorial that praises the loathsome terrorist responsible for the killing of four Jews and the wounding of 20 innocent Israelis," Smotrich said. He added that additional memorials of a similar nature exist throughout Judea and Samaria.
"There are dozens more terror memorials like this throughout Judea and Samaria that need to be destroyed today as well by the IDF, and by it alone," the finance minister emphasized.
Smotrich then criticized left-wing opposition leaders for condemning Succot's actions. "What should really worry us is the frantic sprint by the heads of the left-wing opposition to condemn MK Succot and not the terror itself," he said.
He accused his political opponents of seeking to form a government with what he called "unequivocal supporters of terror." According to Smotrich, "Their plan is to form a government with unequivocal terror supporters, to demolish the communities and outposts we established in Judea and Samaria, and to establish a terror state in the heart of the country. This is the only thing that should concern any sane person who wants to live in the State of Israel today," he said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Succot's actions, saying: "The IDF is the sovereign in Judea and Samaria and is responsible for implementing decisions of the political echelon. Taking the law into one’s own hands, especially by public figures, is wrong and interferes with the IDF’s ability to focus on its missions against terror and incitement."