"Skunk Water" Sprayed on Palestinian Homes in the West Bank
Israeli forces have used a foul-smelling liquid known as "Skunk" — developed for crowd dispersal — to spray Palestinian homes in the West Bank. The tactic has been in use since 2009 and has been condemned by human rights organizations.
"Skunk" is an Israeli-developed liquid — a mixture of water and chemicals formulated to smell like raw sewage and rotting material — originally designed as a non-lethal crowd control tool. It is delivered via water cannon mounted on military vehicles. The smell clings to surfaces and people for days and is difficult to wash off.
While initially developed for crowd dispersal at protests and checkpoints, documented use has expanded to include spraying the exteriors of Palestinian homes in the West Bank, sometimes entire streets in residential areas. The tactic has been in use since at least 2009. Often framed in media reporting as "sewage water," Skunk is a manufactured chemical, not literal sewage — though the effect on residents is similar.
Human rights organizations, including B'Tselem, have condemned the use of Skunk against civilian homes as a form of collective punishment — rendering homes uninhabitable for days without targeting specific individuals involved in any violation. The Israeli military has defended its use as a non-lethal alternative to other enforcement methods.
The use of Skunk water on residential streets and homes is distinct from its use in active crowd-control situations. Critics argue that drenching civilian homes is punitive rather than operational in nature.