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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.