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Zvi Sukkot

Zvi Sukkot
Sukkot in 2022
Faction represented in the Knesset
2023–2025Religious Zionist Party
2025–Religious Zionist Party
Personal details
Born (1990-10-03) 3 October 1990 (age 34)

Zvi Yedidia Sukkot (Hebrew: צבי ידידיה סוכות; born 3 October 1990)[1] is an Israeli activist,[2] settler and politician who currently serves as a Member of the Knesset for the Religious Zionist Party and National Religious Party–Religious Zionism. Sukkot previously served as the Executive Director of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party.[3]

Background

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Zvi Sukkot lives in Yitzhar, an Israeli settlement located in the West Bank, and is married, with three children.[4][5] He was a former representative of the far-right terror group known as "The Revolt".[4][6] He is known for his participation in right-wing activism in Israel.[7]

West Bank activism

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On 18 January 2010, he was arrested along with 9 other people as part of an investigation of a mosque arson.[8] In 2012, he was expelled from the West Bank under suspicion that he was part of a group of 12 that had planned and carried out violent attacks against Palestinians and their property. The organization Honenu provided him with legal representation.[9] On 25 December 2015, he organized a demonstration against the Shin Bet in Tel Aviv in which he re-enacted the alleged torture of Jewish prisoners who were suspected to have been involved with the Duma arson attack.[10][11] On 6 July 2017, he was arrested on suspicion of engaging in "price tagging".[12] On 13 December 2017, he filmed Arab stone-throwers in Yitzhar, and accused "Rabbis for Human Rights" of splicing and editing footage.[13] On 25 December 2017, he was arrested for protesting the demolition of a home in the outpost of Yishuv HaDa'at.[7] On 9 January 2018, he, along with other members from Otzma Yehudit, removed a "terror-inciting" billboard.[3] On 14 January 2018, he, along with other members of the leadership of Otzma Yehudit, organized a crowd-funding campaign to purchase drone equipment to film Arab stone-throwers.[14][15]

Knesset member

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Ahead of the 2022 Israeli legislative election, Sukkot was given the sixteenth spot on a joint list between Otzma Yehudit, the Religious Zionist Party and Noam, representing the Religious Zionist Party.[16] Two weeks later, at the onset of the Huwara rampage, Sukkot tweeted that "Huwara's killers' nest needs to be taken care of", and posted a picture of himself among a group of settlers gathering at Tapuach Junction, to the immediate south of Huwara.[17]

Sukkot entered the Knesset on 8 February 2023 as a replacement for Bezalel Smotrich, who resigned under the Norwegian Law.[18] On 1 November 2023, Sukkot was appointed chairman of the Knesset Subcommittee for Judea and Samaria.[19]

Sukkot in July 2024 urged his supporters to protest at Sde Teiman detention camp against the Israeli military police's detention of nine Israeli soldiers suspected of abuse of a Palestinian prisoner; Sukkot then joined other right-wingers in illegally invading the Sde Teiman detention camp, declaring that "we cannot investigate the soldiers until we investigate those who failed" to stop the 7 October attacks.[20][21]

Sukkot left the Knesset on 21 January 2025 after Amihai Eliyahu returned to the Knesset under the Norwegian Law following Otzma Yehudit's withdrawal from the government.[22][23] He returned to the Knesset in April[23] as a replacement for Otzma Yehudit MK Almog Cohen.[24]

In a debate with Chaim Levinson aired on Channel 12 in May 2025, Sukkot appeared to celebrate what the Times of Israel called "public indifference" to the killing of Palestinians during the Gaza Genocide. Sukkot said "Last night, almost 100 Gazans were killed. And the question you asked me just now had nothing to do with Gaza. Do you know why? Because it doesn’t interest anyone. Everyone has gotten used to [the fact] that [we can] kill 100 Gazans in one night during a war and nobody cares."[25]

References

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  1. ^ "חבר הכנסת צבי סוכות". Knesset (in Hebrew). Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  2. ^ Ben Kimon, Elisha (20 July 2017). "Right-wing activists rebuke Arabs over attack in Arabic-language video". Ynetnews. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  3. ^ a b Sones, Mordechai (9 January 2018). "Watch: Activists remove terror-inciting ads in Judea and Samaria". Israel National News. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  4. ^ a b Zeveloff, Naomi (11 January 2016). "The Radical New Face of the Jewish Settler Movement". The Forward. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  5. ^ Eglash, William Booth and Ruth (2 February 2017). "Israeli settlers attack police as forced removals from West Bank outpost begin". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  6. ^ Persico, Tomer (31 January 2016). "What's Driving Israel's Radical Settler Youth to Rebel?". Haaretz. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  7. ^ a b Magid, Jacob (25 December 2017). "4 Israelis arrested in clashes with police over demolition of outpost home". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  8. ^ "Israeli settlers arrested in mosque arson investigation". BBC News. 18 January 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  9. ^ "IDF expels 12 Jewish extremists from West Bank". jerusalemworldnews.com. 5 January 2012. Archived from the original on 24 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  10. ^ Konrad, Edo (23 December 2015). "Settlers protest alleged torture of Jewish teens in Tel Aviv | +972 Magazine". 972mag.com. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  11. ^ Arad, Roy (24 December 2015). "Right Wing Teens Reenact Torture to Protest Shin Bet Tactics in Tel Aviv Square". Haaretz. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  12. ^ Ben Kimon, Elisha (7 June 2017). "Man arrested on suspicion of 'price tag' offense". Ynetnews. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  13. ^ Hadar, Reut (13 December 2017). "'Arabs rioted - and Jewish residents defended themselves'". Israel National News. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  14. ^ Ben Kimon, Elisha (14 January 2018). "Right-wing party launches new project to catch Palestinian rioters". Ynetnews. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  15. ^ "VIDEO: Otzma Yehudit Party Purchasing Drones To Document Arab Attacks". Yeshiva World News. 14 January 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  16. ^ "הציונות הדתית בראשות בצלאל סמוטריץ ועוצמה יהודית בראשות איתמר בן גביר". GOV.IL (in Hebrew). Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  17. ^ Mezzofiore, Gianluca; Alkhaldi, Celine; Salman, Abeer; Elbagir, Nima (15 June 2023). "Israel's Military Called the Settler Attack on this Palestinian Town a 'Pogrom.' Videos Show Soldiers Did Little to Stop It". CNN. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  18. ^ Hezki, Baruch (8 February 2023). "צבי סוכות הושבע לכנסת". Israel National News (in Hebrew). Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  19. ^ Sharon, Jeremy (1 November 2023). "Ultranationalist MK Tzvi Succot appointed head of Knesset West Bank subcommittee". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  20. ^ "Military Police raid IDF detention facility, 9 held, over 'serious abuse of a detainee'". The Times of Israel. 29 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  21. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (30 July 2024). "'Bordering on anarchy': IDF chief sounds alarm after right-wing mob breaks into 2nd base". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  22. ^ "צבי סוכות נפרד מהכנסת: "השמאלנים חוגגים? חבר'ה אנחנו לא הולכים"". www.inn.co.il. 20 January 2025. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  23. ^ a b "Personnel changes in the 25th Knesset". Knesset. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  24. ^ Sokol, Sam (3 April 2025). "Smotrich reverses resignation as PM helps patch rift among his far-right partners". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  25. ^ Magid, Jacob (16 May 2025). "Religious Zionism MK appears to revel in public indifference toward '100 Gazans killed last night'". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
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