Opposition lawmakers joined up with Haredi politicians Monday in a rare joint effort to advance a bill barring police use of “Skunk,” a foul-smelling liquid, on protesters.

Sprayed out of a high-pressure water cannon truck, the putrid liquid is often used on Haredi anti-draft demonstrators and Palestinians in the West Bank, but has also been rolled out against anti-government protesters in recent years.

“There is support here from both the opposition and coalition — it isn’t related to which side of the map you’re on,” said bill sponsor MK Eliyahu Baruchi (United Torah Judaism) during a Knesset National Security Committee meeting that morning. “[Skunk] is a dangerous tool, and it’s inconceivable that the police still use it today.”

The makeup of the substance is shrouded in mystery and relevant authorities have declined to disclose its exact ingredients. Some of those who have been sprayed with the substance reported skin irritation, shortness of breath and headaches.

Skunk is produced by one supplier, noted Baruchi, referring to the private Israeli firm Odortec that invented the liquid. “There is one entity that knows how to create this… and there is no government supervision on what this thing does to one’s health,” he said.

The bill, approved for its first Knesset plenum reading at the meeting’s conclusion, would restrict police to using solely clean water when dispersing protests, thus banning the liquid.

It would also bar cops from dousing demonstrators with dyeing........

© The Times of Israel