Israeli police have begun testing a new crowd-control method that mixes pepper spray into water cannons, replacing the controversial “skunk” liquid that has drawn years of public criticism and legal challenges. The move is being examined as a possible permanent policy change, according to a report by Ynet.

In recent weeks, police have conducted trials of the new measure at several hafganah events. Police sources say the pepper-spray-infused water has proven more effective at dispersing gatherings and that there is growing momentum within the force to adopt it as a standard alternative. The tests are part of a broader reassessment of crowd-control tactics.

Internal discussions were prompted by sustained criticism of the skunk liquid—a foul-smelling substance sprayed from water cannons that leaves an intense odor lingering for days. The skunk agent was first introduced in 2008 by the Border Police to address violent disturbances, but opposition to its use has mounted over time.

In recent months, dozens of chareidi residents of Yerushalayim, together with Deputy Mayor Tzachi Berr, petitioned Israel’s High Court of Justice against the Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir and the Israel Police, demanding an end to the use of the skunk liquid. The petition argued that the substance poses health and environmental risks, has never undergone a formal safety review, and lacks approval from the Health Ministry.

Petitioners further claimed that the liquid has been deployed during hafganah activity in densely populated areas and narrow streets, causing respiratory and skin irritation, endangering children, the elderly, and pregnant women, and resulting in property damage and persistent odors that can linger for days.

At the time, police responded that their contract with the skunk liquid’s manufacturer was nearing its end and that alternative methods for dispersing hafganah events were under review. The current trials involving pepper spray mixed into water cannons now appear to be the first concrete step in that transition.

{Matzav.com}