Sonic Weapons
June 13, 2005 - October 6, 2009
Israel could use a sonic weapon against its settlers
By AMY TEIBEL
Original text: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050610/D8AKNC980.html
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel is considering the use of an unusual new weapon against Jewish settlers who will resist the evacuation of the Gaza Strip this summer - a device that emits penetrating sonic rays that leave targets staggering with dizziness and nausea.
Security forces could use this weapon to confront protesters without resorting to brute force, which is their primary objective, but experts warn that the effects of prolonged exposure are unknown.
The army has already used this new device, which it dubbed "The Shriek," during a recent and violent demonstration made up of Palestinians and Jewish sympathizers opposing the construction of the separation wall.
The protesters covered their ears and grabbed their heads, overcome by dizziness and nausea, after the vehicle-mounted device began sending audible rays but at low sound levels with a cycle of about 10 seconds. According to a press photographer present at the event, even after covering his ears, he continued to hear the noise reverberating in his head.
A military official says the device emits a special frequency that targets the inner ear. Exposure for several minutes at close range could seriously damage the auditory canal, but the noise is too unbearable for people to remain voluntarily in that area for more than a few seconds.
Another official, also speaking on condition of anonymity because of his sensitive position, said the device has never been tested on individuals for several hours in a row, so the effects of prolonged exposure cannot be anticipated.
According to him, there is no cause-and-effect link between the recent appearance of "the Shriek" and the reactions of the settlers who plan to resist the evacuation orders that are to begin in mid-August, but he did not rule out the possibility of using it to uproot the settlers if persuasion fails.
This official believes that "the Shriek" could be used if the protesters reject the Gaza agreements or if they adopt military attitudes.
"The desire for non-lethal action reflects the wish not to enter into a situation where soldiers would be in distress and where the consequences would be more serious than expected"
They specify that the military is still in a phase of field evaluation of the device's performance.
John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, believes that last Friday's demonstration was the first case where such technology came out of the laboratory to go into the field. He states that the UNITED STATES and probably China and Russia are developing or possess acoustic weapons.
"However, to my knowledge, no agency is actively using them at the moment."
The military has offered few details about the device, but Pike states that in all likelihood it operates with very low frequencies that resonate with the inner ear, but he says he is unaware of potential damage such as possible hearing loss.
Although the military refuses to comment, Pike indicates that the device probably sends sound waves in a very specific direction, thus protecting soldiers positioned behind it.
"Most governments do not face large-scale demonstrations with a potential for lethal violence, so I think I will watch with interest the Israeli security forces, which are the first to innovate in the non-lethal arena because of the unique challenges they will face in the area of crowd control."
According to military officials, Israel constantly tries to introduce new non-lethal weapons in the field, but they do not reveal details. Their current arsenal usually involves tear gas or steel balls covered with rubber, which have nevertheless caused dozens of Palestinian deaths.
Critics say that Israel, with all its military technology, should have done much more in recent years, especially since the first Palestinian uprising began in 1987, to develop non-lethal weapons intended for controlling hostile Palestinian crowds.
Troops often switch to live fire against Palestinian teenagers throwing stones at them. The police, too, used to use lethal force, as in October 2000 to control Arab-Israeli rioters at the start of the second Palestinian uprising. Thus thirteen Arab-Israelis were killed during those riots, and a commission of inquiry declared that the police had used excessive force.
The Israeli human rights group B'Tselem states that Israeli security services do not come equipped with non-lethal weapons to maintain order during demonstrations. "although they should anticipate crowd movements, they do not equip themselves with non-lethal devices" according to Sarit Michaeli, spokesperson for the movement.
The weapons they possess, such as rubber bullets, are misleading because used at close range they can be just as lethal, according to Michaeli.
Pike specifies that the reason non-lethal weapons are not used worldwide is that they are difficult to design while reconciling both safety and effectiveness.
"The number of devices that are truly effective for managing crowds and less lethal than conventional weapons can be counted on the fingers of one hand"
According to Pike, weapons like pepper spray would not disperse a determined crowd. Something like a sticky foam could contain a few individuals located outside a building, "but when it comes to controlling an entire crowd in a public square, it wouldn't do the trick"
Israel, during previous attempts to develop useful non-lethal weapons for crowd dispersal, had tried a machine projecting gravel, but it was quickly abandoned during the first Palestinian uprising.
Original text: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050610/D8AKNC980.html
October 6, 2009: Four years later, the state of the art concerning these sonic weapons.
Tested in Iraq, then deployed against students in the USA.
http://numerolambda.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/irak-g20-canons-anti-emeute