Israel Unleashes First 'Skunk Bomb'

By David Hambling

Possibly because of excitement over the Russia-Georgia conflict last month, little attention was given to a new development in chemical warfare – the first use by the Israeli police of a new, smelly weapon to disperse demonstrators:

Israeli police say the new crowd-control method, which they call a "skunk bomb," was used for the first time Friday in the village of Naalin. Palestinians have been holding almost daily protests against a security barrier that Israel is building in the area.

Israeli police say a water-spraying device showered the liquid on the demonstrators, forcing most to rush off to change their clothes.

The weapons are described as an improvement over the rubber bullets and tear gas used previously, and "medical and legal authorities approved the use of the foul-smelling liquid."

According to the Jerusalem Post, "some demonstrators described the smell as similar to that of sewage, adding that it was hard to get rid of, even after a shower."

We've been waiting for this – Noah noted when the Skunk was developed in 2004. According to a report in the UK's Independent newspaper, the chemical involved is an artificial version of skunk liquid:

The foul-smelling liquid squirted by angry or frightened skunks at their victims was analyzed by Israeli defence scientists and a synthetic version created for use in a weapon they call the "skunk bomb". Fired with great care, and from a respectable range, it is designed to force civilian protesters to disperse. Security forces would not be keen to arrest the victims, and they would be equally unwelcome at home.

This may signal a shift towards classifying so-called malodorants as "riot control agents." There is a whole legal dance around the use of non-lethal chemicals, and the US Army has shown a strong interest in deploying them. The new 155mm XM1063 non-lethal artillery round is filled with an unknown chemical agent, and many suspect that this is a malodorant. It is set to go into production – if it is approved – in the next year.

Jason Sigger took exception to my suggestion that the XM1063 might count as a chemical weapon and so technically be banned by the Chemical Weapons Convention. However, the CWC defines a toxic chemical as "Any chemical which through its chemical action on life processes can cause death, temporary incapacitation or permanent harm to humans or animals." So I strongly suspect it would fall under this heading. But America specifically regards Riot Control Agents as being exempt from the CWC. Watch out for revelations about what the XM1063 actually contains, and expect to see lawyers making some money on this one.

Ironic Footnote: Oddly enough, malodorants were used earlier this year by eco-warriors of the Sea Shepherd group, as reported in The Australian:

Captain of the Steve Irwin Paul Watson denied any attack on the Yushin Maru No. 3, saying he had not even seen such a boat.

But he confirmed the group launched a “retaliatory strike” of butyric acid “stink bombs” at the Yushin Maru No. 2, about one hour after activists Benjamin Potts and Giles Lane were transferred to the Australian customs boat, the Oceanic Viking.