In Nilin, a village in the occupied West Bank, there are regular protests against the construction of Israel’s separation barrier which snakes around a new Jewish settlement on the other side of the small valley. The protests mean that Israeli occupation forces have to silence the Palestinians by any means necessary.

Last week, Israeli troops raided Awwad Sror's small family home in Nilin to arrest his younger brother, Aqal. When Sror tried to intervene, Israeli soldiers shot him from close range with at least three rubber-coated steel bullets.

According to the BBC, one bullet hit Sror in the chest, another smashed his jaw, while a third entered his right eye socket and fractured his skull, leaving him blind in his right eye. 

Sror’s family accuses the Israeli army of using disproportionate force, but Israel claims that the soldier who fired the shots “acted properly”.

• “Sewage”

In order to circumvent accusations of disproportionate force, Israel is deploying a new, non-lethal but highly-offensive weapon called The Skunk.

Named after the Skunks, the mammals best known for their ability to excrete a strong, foul-smelling odor, the new "bomb" is dispensed via a hose system, and the liquid is supposedly hard to wash off, even after repeated showers.

Israeli police say the new weapon was used for the first time last month to disperse a protest in Nilin. Israeli police say a water-spraying device showered the liquid on the demonstrators, forcing most to rush off to change their clothes.

If you're curious about the smell, the Jerusalem Post reported that some demonstrators described it as "similar to that of sewage,” adding that “it was hard to get rid of, even after a shower."

Palestinian protester Ahad Huja, who was sprayed by the Skunk last month, said the smell even got into the food his wife cooked and that people avoided him for a week.

"A terrible stench - the smell of a rotting, dead animal," said Dr. David Nir, an Israeli peace campaigner. "Like jumping headfirst into a sewer."

• “Secret ingredients”

Israeli medical and legal authorities approved the use of the foul-smelling liquid, arguing that the recipe is based entirely on organic components as it contains a thoroughly disgusting mix of yeast, baking powder and a few other "secret" ingredients.

"It's totally harmless, you can even drink it," Superintendent David Ben Harosh, head of technological development for the Israeli police, was quoted by the BBC as saying.

In fact the Israelis are so enthusiastic about the Skunk Bomb that they hope to market it to other forces worldwide.

Human rights groups are still considering the legality of the Skunk Bomb. But they oppose the arbitrary way in which innocent bystanders can be soaked with the disgusting green liquid.

Then again, Palestinian protestors and villagers are still being killed and seriously wounded in the West Bank by more conventional weapons.

As disgusting as it is, being sprayed with Skunk might be preferable to being hit by a rubber-coated bullet or choking under the effects of tear-gas or pepper-spray.

www.aljazeera.com/news/newsfull.php