Special Reports: Palestine-Israel Conflicts >>
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have stepped up efforts to quell violent anti-security barrier demonstrations in the West Bank over the weekend, using the "skunk bomb" for the first time in six months, local daily The Jerusalem Post reported on Sunday.
The skunk bomb, a foul-smelling liquid last used in January, was sprayed on the demonstrators, mainly Palestinians who were protesting against the construction of the separation barrier nearby, said the report.
"The smell is so strong that people flee immediately," said an IDF source, adding that the demonstration on Friday was dispersed within minutes of firing the bomb into the crowd.
According to the report, the IDF and Border Police forces used the spray against nearly 100 Palestinian, Israeli and foreign demonstrators near the village of Bil'in on Friday.
Some 300 people participated in another demonstration at Na' alin on Friday, causing damage to the barrier and throwing Molotovcocktails and stones at security personnel.
A top officer in Israel's Central Command said on Friday that Col. Aviv Reshef, commander of the Binyamin Brigade, has urged Palestinian leaders from Bil'in and Na'alin to restrain the demonstrators during a meeting recently.
"We do not have a problem with them demonstrating peacefully against the fence, but we will not allow the demonstrators to damage or vandalize it," said the officer.
The decision to use the skunk bomb was taken as part of a new effort by the IDF to minimize friction between the security forces and the demonstrators as much as possible, he added.