‘It has been described as smelling like “a chunk of rotting corpse from a stagnant sewer” placed in a blender.
It is the foul-smelling liquid the “skunk” truck, one of Israel’s weapons of occupation and oppression, routinely sprays at Palestinians.
One of these skunk trucks can be seen in the video above spraying a jet of the disgusting liquid in eastern occupied Jerusalem on Saturday.
“Apart from the repulsive nausea-inducing stench, the skunk liquid can cause pain and redness if it comes into contact with eyes, irritation if it comes into contact with skin and if swallowed can cause abdominal pain requiring medical treatment,” according to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI).
The children who evidently shot the video and can be heard talking are lamenting that the truck seems to be heading in the direction of their house.
They reassure each other that the windows of their house are closed.
But then something extraordinary happens. The truck tumbles off the road down a vertical ravine to the cheers and delight of the people of the neighborhood and the children making the film……
On 10 August, ACRI said it had contacted the commander of Jerusalem’s occupation police “to request that he urgently clarify the details” of Israel’s use of the substance.
“Witness testimony reveals that the police indiscriminately sprayed the skunk liquid towards houses, people, restaurants brimming with people and in crowded streets, causing harm to innocent residents,” ACRI said. “Evidence suggests that in some cases the skunk repellent was arbitrarily used with no apparent justification and in the absence of any public disturbances.”
It’s no wonder Palestinians were so delighted to see at least one Israeli skunk truck put out of action.’
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Niamh Harris