Human
rights campaigners claim that the Israeli army and defense
corporations exploit the deadly Gaza protests to test and advertise
hardware like drones, sniper rifles and 'smart' fences.
"The
Israeli military industry exploits the occupation of Palestine, and
specifically the siege on Gaza, as an arena to battle-test, invest
in, and innovate military technology to later be marketed to the
international community based on their effectiveness on Palestinian
civilians," says the recent report penned by the 'Hamushim'
human rights group, which campaigns against the occupation of the
Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The NGO is run by the Coalition of
Women for Peace, an Israel-based group partnering with the Nobel
Peace Prize-winning American Friends Service Committee.
The
Israeli defense industry has a history of marketing its products
after violent clashes with the Palestinians, the report says, noting
that the bloody 2014 Israeli-Gaza conflict helped the companies to
sell Hermes 900 Kochav drones, next-generation Hatzav tank shells and
MPR500 'smart bombs.'
According
to the activists, the 'Great March of Return' protests in Gaza have
also helped Tel Aviv to promote new army tech. "Israeli media
focused on the combat advantages of both in the military preparation
for the Great March of Return and during the march itself,"
they wrote, noting that the clashes with the Palestinians provided an
opportunity to test out Matrice 600 and Phantom 3 tear gas drones.
The
models, dubbed 'Sea or Tears,' were specifically designed for the
border police as crowd dispersal tools. Another type of drone
introduced against the Palestinians is the so-called 'Shoko Drones,'
or skunk water drones, which bombard protesters with foul-smelling
and very sticky liquid. After the deployment of drones was deemed
"successful," the army purchased "hundreds" of
them, the activists write.
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