The IDF routinely uses a truly disgusting weapon of war to maintain the Occupation: a skunk cannon. To the uninitiated, imagine instead of fire hoses and police dogs, Sheriff Bull Connor used a massive stream of raw sewage mixed with skunk oil and let it fly not just on the civil rights marchers but all the citizens and businesses in town. Then imagine you’re one of the victims and it’s flying at you from a truck the size of a small tank. The ostensible purpose of this vehicle is to disrupt protests on the West Bank. Keep in mind, that these are for the most part totally non-violent incidents in which demonstrators are expressing their legitimate opposition to issues like building the Separation Wall, which in itself is an illegal project under international law. In short, the purpose of the skunk cannon is not to break up violent rallies or protect the IDF from the wrath of Palestinians. It is purely meant to suppress the political will of the Palestinian people.
Ynet reports (Hebrew) that in addition to spraying protesters, those who operate the vehicles randomly spray residential homes and businesses having nothing to do with the demonstrations. This is collective punishment, since those harmed by the noxious material are not only the protesters but innocent bystanders. We’re not even really talking about bystanders since the trucks spray the material over just about everything in their path far away from the site of the protests. If your business involves displaying merchandise outside your store, your entire inventory is destroyed. Soldiers do this even in the presence of Israeli journalists. This is pure vindictiveness, pure bile on the part of the IDF. Not to mention that the raw sewage spewed on Palestinians is a perfect symbolic representation of what the IDF thinks of Palestinians.
Those whose homes are struck by the spray must undergo extensive and costly cleaning operations since it permeates building material and is long-lasting.
Sound like an effective non-lethal weapon. I doubt that it uses sewage water.
Would you prefer that they kept using tear gas canisters that can cause serious injury and even death in some cases, or rubber bullets?
@Nimrod: That’s a big laugh. Yes, I’d prefer that they use tear gas in the manner that the manufacturer directed it to be used: by firing the canister on the ground in the vicinity of those targeted, instead of using the canister as a weapon to maim & kill. Tear gas dissipates. Skunk gunk doesn’t. Even better, I’d prefer Israeli personnel to be used sparingly & only when life is endangered, which it never is in Palestinian protests. There is no need for Israeli personnel in most cases of civil unrest in the West Bank. The IDF deliberately provokes responses & wants both confrontation, violence & casualties.
So please don’t tell us that the Occupation regime is trying to keep the peace & doing its job faithfully.
@Richard: tear gas canister are not to be fired at the ground. they are designed to be fired at a 60 degrees angle, and it they hit someone on the head (and make no mistakes – it’s impossible to aim these thing) it can get him killed.
as for rubber coated bullets – they are even worst, because their trajectory is impossible to predict, and even from a “safe” distance, they can take someone’s eye out, even if the shooter was aiming to the ground.
If I was a protester, I would prefer the stinking stuff.
As for life never endangered in Palestinian protests – I’m guessing no one has even thrown a rock or a Molotov cocktail at you.
I’ve been to some demonstrations and both sides deliberately provokes responses.
I’m not saying that the Occupation regime is trying to keep the peace, and I am saying that what you call “demonstrations” and I call riots will not end it and only cause more injuries and death.
If they Palestinians were non-violent, they would have been much closer to a country of their own.
@Nimrod: Tear gas canister are NOT designed to be shot at or near a body, period. These weapons are used to kill. It doesn’t matter whether they contain lethal live bullets or tear gas canisters. THe IDF uses them to maim & kill & does so intentionally.
You lie about my own experience as I’ve written more than once here that I’ve not only been stoned by rightist Israelis I’ve been struck by one.
If the Palestinians were non violent they’d be much farther from a country of their own. In fact, they’d get one in the year 2500, if then. Not that I endorse violence. I just don’t endorse Israel’s rejectionism that is predicated on Palestinian acquiescence to Occupation. And I do wish you’d stop offering your opinion about how the Palestinians should pursue their own interests. Neither they nor I have the least interest in hearing your advice to them.
If you look at 00:25 in the Ynet video you attached, you can see the victims in this “totally non-violent incidents” throwing rocks at the vehicle.
legitimate opposition? I guess that depends on the geography.
If I was throwing rocks at a US police vehicle in a US territory which I consider occupied, i’d probably get a few bullets in me.
@Nimrod: No, you wouldn’t. POlice don’t kill people here for throwing rocks. In fact, very few protesters in the U.S. throw rocks these days. And while police here do kill people unjustifiably, there is a much greater chance of the killer being held accountable here than in Israel. Again, the system is not perfect and too many police are not held accountable. But the record here is much better than there.
So you found 1 portion of the video containing rock throwers. Can you explain the other 2 minutes of video which show multiple incidents of spraying homes & businesses in which there is no rock throwing??
” But the record here is much better than there”
Around 380 people are killed yearly in the US by police.
http://www.copblock.org/2841/police-brutality-statistics/
Where is the source of your statement?
The Israeli police and IDF killed far more Palestinian civilians than that number. Given that U.S. population is 50 times that of Israel, the disparity is compelling.
I can show you a long list of police tried and some even convicted for these killings. Can you show me any Israeli police convicted or even tried for their killings?
Though i don’t have statistics, it is safe to assume that the number of Tear Gas canisters fired by IDF and Border Police to control riots in a years times is in the thousands.
The number of incidents in which people are being hit directly by those canisters is very limited. Usually the IDF /BP starts an investigation, One have to remember that riots can get very intense, the soldiers are usually outnumbers and the usage of tear gas is usually very effective.
Yesh din found that statistically about 60% of all complaints result in the opening of an investigation by either IDF police or Regular Police (2005 – 2007)
You statement that the IDF has killed more Palestinian civilians then the average number of dead civilians in the US per year is missing a time frame, and can’t be used for comparison.
Just for general knowledge in the period of time between 2008 – 2013 The US as killed more civilians using drones then the number of Palestinian casualties during the last two operations in Gaza: Cast Lead and Pillar of Cloud combined. Drone attacks are conducted mainly in Pakistan.
@EladR: In just two villages there have been roughly 20 maimings or murders by canister in the past few years. And no, the riots don’t get intense unless the IDF provokes them. If you think that West Bank protests get “intense” you haven’t been in an intense riot or protest.
Soldiers are “outnumbered” but aren’t even called for in the majority of situations. If they weren’t there they wouldn’t be outnumbered. Even when they are outnumbered they’re never in danger. These are civilians who at most have a rock opposed by fully armed Israeli soldiers. So please don’t ask us to have any sympathy for the disporportionality.
The IDF “opens an investigation,” which means precisely what? It means gornisht. So again, don’t expect any of us to be impressed with such a lame claim.
You got the comparison I was making wrong. We were comparing the number of murders by police in the U.S. with murder by Israeli police of civilians (whether Jewish or Palestinian). You, I & Eden all know that per capita the number killed by Israeli police is far larger than in the U.S.
Bringing in U.S. military casualties is not apropos since we were talking originally about Israeli & U.S. police, not military.
Please try to stay on topic & compare apples to apples & not apples to oranges.
I am not a good debater, but when Eden stated: “Around 380 people are killed yearly in the US by police.” and you answered that “The Israeli police and IDF killed far more Palestinian civilians than that number” you didn’t mention in what period of time.
Are you arguing that IDF kills more then 380 Palestinian / year ?
No, did you read what I wrote? Read it again.
I’m sorry i forgot to link.
The Yesh Din report is available here.
http://www.yesh-din.org/sys/images/File/Exceptions%5BHeb%5D%5B1%5D.pdf
Here’s another video from Nabi Saleh. If you scroll down, Avi G and further on karendevito have translated the exchange, partly in Hebrew, partly in Arabic. I really like what the man is saying to the Arabic-speaking soldier 🙂
http://mondoweiss.net/2013/01/israeli-occupied-palestine.html
It’s almost like a rehearsal for the use of a lethal chemical agent in residential areas.
Or an open threat to do so.
No sign of the Hasabara coming out in droves to defend this, yet, but give them time.
RE: “IDF Skunk Cannon Odorizes West Bank”
FOR THE SETTLER’S VERSION, SEE: “Jews protect Palestinians in harvest of hate” ~ By Donald Macintyre in Awarta, West Bank, The Independent (U.K.), 10/10/08
• Israelis cross religious divide to shelter olive farmers from settlers’ attacks
ENTIRE ARTICLE – http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/jews-protect-palestinians-in-harvest-of-hate-956706.html
Can you tell me if this is the same incident? Incident is the wrong word, you will need to translate the article, a ynet reporter was on scene. http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4352465,00.html
Pls. ignore my question above. Isn’t ‘collective punishment’ prohibited under Article 33 of the 4th Geneva Convention?
Shocked that no one discusses the real shame in the IDF skunk spraying a portion of a village. You all ought to be ashamed of yourselves. Such *drift*.