Police measures in Jerusalem: “Skunk water” at the Damascus Gate

During the recent demonstrations by Palestinians in Jerusalem, the Israeli police used a special deterrent: “skunk water”. Residents report that the city stinks like a cesspool.

At first glance, it was a strange video that appeared on the Internet a few days ago. It shows the Damascus Gate in East Jerusalem and its forecourt – almost deserted. Nevertheless, an Israeli police water cannon was used. He sprayed a liquid onto the square with a solid jet – although no demonstrators were to be seen.

Benjamin Hammer
ARD studio Tel Aviv

@HammerARD

The explanation of why the water cannon was used floats in the vehicle’s tank. According to residents, there is water there with a foul-smelling admixture. The Palestinians call it “Kharara” which means “excrement” in Arabic. In English the liquid is called “skunk water”: “skunk water.”

The Israeli police have been driving crowds from the square for weeks. Officially for security reasons. The foul-smelling water is apparently supposed to make a stay there unbearable.

“There’s this disgusting stench everywhere”

A few days after the video was recorded: There is still a slight smell of liquid manure and cesspool at the Damascus Gate. We are on our way to see Munir Nusseibah, professor of international law at Al-Quds University in Jerusalem. The Palestinian lives in Sheikh Jarrah, the neighborhood in which Palestinian families are facing possible eviction by nationalist Jewish settlers. The professor also stinks a lot these days. And that’s not just because Israel is occupying East Jerusalem under international law.

“It’s disgusting. And it makes you feel sick. Every day I ride my bike to Sheikh Jarrah’s work in the old town. And there is this disgusting stench everywhere.” Nusseibah said that nothing could justify this commitment. “If you want to use water, you can use clean water, right? That’s what other places do when you break up demonstrations.”

The international lawyer sees the stinking liquid as a collective punishment for the Palestinian population. A punishment for taking to the streets against their disenfranchisement. This is also how the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem sees it.

Nusseibeh: “Skunk water” an Israeli invention

According to research by several media outlets, “skunk water” is an Israeli invention. According to B’Tselem, it contains water, yeast, and baking soda, among other things. Residents report having to wash themselves several times to remove the stench from their bodies. The “skunk water” was also used against Jewish, ultra-Orthodox demonstrators in the past.

Nonetheless, it is clear to international lawyer Nusseibeh that the means are primarily directed against Palestinians. A week and a half ago, right-wing Israelis organized the second flag march, he says. Young Palestinians wanted to demonstrate against it and also gather at the Damascus Gate. The police then removed them by force. Nusseibeh also reports that the police had not yet used “skunk water” at this point in time.

Because later Jews wanted to come to the Damascus Gate. “They shouldn’t smell it. Only after the Israeli settlers had left the area with their flags did the water cannon come. And spread the stench all over the area,” said Nusseibeh.

Visiting Samira Dajani. She also lives in the Palestinian quarter of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem. Dajani leads into her large garden and puts lemonade on the table. Pure idyll, if it weren’t for that smell on the street in front of the house. In Sheikh Jarrah there are regular demonstrations against the possible eviction of Palestinian families.

Palestinians and nationalist settlers throw plastic bottles and stones at each other. The Israeli police then often use the stinking water cannons. According to Samira Dajani against the Palestinians, not against the Israeli settlers. However, even those with the stink have to live in the neighborhood.

A right to fresh air

The Dajanis are also facing a possible eviction. A right-wing Israeli organization is asserting claims to the property because the land used to be owned by Jews. The Dajanis fight back in court. The tension of these weeks is almost unbearable, says Dajani, whose family once fled West Jerusalem and have lived in East Jerusalem for decades.

And then, says Samira, there is also this smell. At the demonstration on Friday, her husband got some of the water, she says.

“He came into the apartment and said: ‘Samira, give me some new clothes quickly.’ I gave him his pajamas. We had to wash them afterwards. It was that bad. I can hardly describe it. You know, even if I could, I wouldn’t spray the water on Israelis. They’re human. And all humans should have a right to breathe fresh air and not something like that. ”

According to Israeli security forces, “skunk water” is a non-lethal means of dispersing crowds. But they don’t say why whole squares and streets are polluted with it. Several requests to spokespersons for the Israeli police for this article went unanswered.