Sir, – The spraying of the so-called “skunk liquid” by the Israeli security forces on homes in the occupied West Bank is a new low in efforts to curb protests against land confiscation. Not alone is the use of the foul-smelling liquid a further indication of how far Binyamin Netanyahu’s government is prepared to go in degrading and demoralising the Palestinian people, but the orders are being carried out as a collective punishment against villagers, many of whom are thought to have no links whatsoever with the stone-throwing protesters.
As Mark Weiss reported (“Palestinians protest use of ‘skunk’ liquid”, World News, January 11th), the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem claims the skunk liquid has never been used against Jewish demonstrators inside Israel, yet peaceful protesters who are not throwing stones or involved in clashes with the security forces are regularly doused. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – When there is so much real pain and suffering in the Middle East, and in particular in Syria where, according to the UN, 60,000 people have been killed in the last 22 months, it seems unfortunate that The Irish Times has chosen to devote a third of its World News page (January 11th) to a piece of news such as Palestinians protesting against the use of “skunk” liquid. The liquid in question is designed to suppress riotous crowds without causing any harm to protesters. It has been proven to be completely safe, with the only discomfort caused by its strong odour. While in dictatorial regimes across the Middle East, demonstrations are met with live ammunition, Israel as always seeks to use minimum force to deal with disturbances. – Yours, etc,
