Netanyahu Asserts IDF Sovereignty in Judea and Samaria After Sukkot Outburst
Prime Minister Netanyahu declared the IDF holds overriding security authority in Judea and Samaria following MK Zvi Sukkot's unauthorized actions.
Jerusalem, 25 August, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the Israel Defense Forces hold overriding security authority in Judea and Samaria, following an unauthorized incident involving Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot.
Sukkot entered the Palestinian village of Madama and, without authorization from his military entourage, smashed a Palestinian monument praising terrorist Yaman Tayeb Ali Faraj, head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in Shechem.
“The IDF has overriding authority on security in Judea and Samaria and is entrusted with implementing the decisions of the political echelon,” Netanyahu said.
“Taking the law into one’s own hands, particularly by public figures, is unacceptable and hinders the IDF from focusing on its missions of combating terror and incitement,” he added.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also condemned Sukkot’s actions, stressing that individual Knesset members do not have sovereign authority in Judea and Samaria.