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Skunk (weapon)

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Skunk carrying vehicle, Bil'in

"Skunk" is a malodorant, non-lethal weapon for crowd control by the Israel Defense Forces.It is known among Palestinians as "shit". It is also suspected by B'tselem of being used as a collective punishment measure against Palestinians. The material used is organic and non-toxic. Deriving its name from the animal of the same name, "Skunk" is dispersed as a form of mist, fired from a water cannon, which leaves a terrible odor of rot or sewage on whatever it touches. It does not wash off easily and is said to linger on clothes for up to five years. First attempts at developing a scent-based form of crowd control began in Israel in 2004; Skunk was first used for crowd control in August 2008 in the village of Ni'lin. It is used even when crowds are quiet and there is no stone throwing, with Palestinians. It has not been used to disperse Israeli crowds in demonstrations. A BBC reporter describes its effects as follows:-

“Imagine the worst, most foul thing you have ever smelled. An overpowering mix of rotting meat, old socks that haven’t been washed for weeks – topped off with the pungent waft of an open sewer. . .Imagine being covered in the stuff as it is liberally sprayed from a water cannon. Then imagine not being able to get rid of the stench for at least three days, no matter how often you try to scrub yourself clean.”

A reporter for Reuters described its effect when used against villagers of Nabi Saleh to dispersed their protests the Israeli occupation in the following words:

Imagine taking a chunk of rotting corpse from a stagnant sewer, placing it in a blender and spraying the filthy liquid in your face. Your gag reflex goes off the charts and you can't escape, because the nauseating stench persists for days.

In Hebron it was used in early 2012 to disperse not only a crowd that clashed with Israeli soldiers during a protest commemorating the anniversary of the Cave of the Patriarchs Massacre, but also against a funeral cortege, when mourners, who had waited for the riot to end, and who had informed Israeli soldiers of the nature of their procession to the Muslim cemetery, were also reportedly dowsed with the liquid, as was the corpse awaiting burial.

It was sprayed in late June 2014 throughout Bethlehem's Aida refugee camp in what residents describe as an 'unprovoked and unexpected' attack, though it is regularly used according to B'tselem, against Palestinian villages where demonstrations are frequent. Among Palestinians, the liquid is known simply as "shit". In rebuttal to a B'tselem report, the Israel Defense Force stated that 'Skunk' is used only when demonstrators become violent or engage in vandalism and detailed the rules of engagement in which it is used. It was used in November 2014 in the Palestinian township A-Tur near the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem to dowse 4 large schools, compelling 4,500 to stay home. According to local residents it is being used 'routinely and arbitrarily.'

According to David Ben Harosh, head of technological development for the Israeli police, the recipe is based entirely on natural organic ingredients, including yeast and baking powder, does not include any harmful materials, and may even be ingested without causing harm. The inventors plan to market Skunk to other forces worldwide. The development of Skunk followed numerous accusations against Israeli forces that they often employ disproportionate force in clashes with Palestinian protestors (e.g. using rubber bullets or tear gas), which has led them to seek new, non-lethal but effective methods of crowd control.

Skunk in action against targets in Bil'in

References

  1. ^ Noah Browning, 'Israeli "skunk" fouls West Bank protests,' Reuters 3 September 2012.
  2. ^ Sarit Michaeli, 'Crowd Control: Israel’s Use of Crowd Control Weapons in the West Bank,' B'tselem 2013 p.
  3. "התרגיל המסריח; המפגינים מנעלין צריכים לקנות דיאודורנט" ,Haaretz, 4/9/2008
  4. "Israel develops 'skunk bomb' for riot control situations", Haaretz, 18/9/2004
  5. "Israel Unleashes First 'Skunk Bomb'". 2014 Condé Nast. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  6. 'Using Palestinians as free way to test new weapons of people control,' JfjfP May 2014
  7. Elior Levy, 'Hebron funeral becomes target of 'skunk' weapon,' Ynet 28 February 2012.
  8. Alex Shams,'Israeli forces spray Bethlehem homes with putrid-smelling water,' Ma'an News Agency 27 June 2014.
  9. 'IDF Response to B'Tselem on Crowd Control Weapons'
  10. Haggai Matar, 'WATCH: Police spray putrid water on Palestinian homes, schools,' +972 Magazine
  11. Annie Robbins,'Videos: Jerusalem Skunk,' Mondoweiss 16 November, 2014.

See also

External links

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