TEL AVIV — The Israel Army has used the so-called "skunk bomb" to quell violent Palestinian protests in the West Bank and other demonstrations involving Israelis.   

The Skunk bomb was described as a spray that is so repellent that people flee its odor.

"It's been proven as effective, but our goal is not to use at every time and thus lose the element of surprise," a military source said.

In July, the non-lethal spray was employed several times by army and police troops to break up violent demonstrations against the West Bank security wall, Middle East Newsline reported. Most of the demonstrators who sought to tear down the wall near the West Bank village of Bilin were identified as Israelis or foreign nationals.

The sources said the spray was directed toward the protesters, who had sought to attack and dismantle the security wall. Within minutes, the demonstrators fled the area to escape the smell.

This marked the first time the skunk bomb was used in the West Bank since January 2009. The military and police have been battling Israeli, Palestinian and foreign nationals at Bilin nearly every week.

Often, the demonstrators have hurled firebombs and rocks toward the Israeli force. More than 100 soldiers and police were reported to have been injured in the Bilin protests in 2009.

The military has devised numerous non-lethal methods to quell violent Palestinian demonstrations. The sources said most of the measures, including the use of screeching sounds, have been deemed ineffective.

A senior officer said the army would continue use of the skunk bomb in an effort to reduce injuries from clashes with protesters. But the officer said the army did not want to use the device in every demonstration to prevent the development of counter-measures.

"This is what happened when we used tear gas constantly," the officer said. "The Palestinians started bringing in onions to counter the effects."

The army has also been using undercover police officers to arrest protest leaders at Bilin. The officers from the police's so-called Yamas unit have been dressed as Palestinians and joined the front line of demonstrators.

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