IDF to issue pepper spray to non-combat soldiers

Following the recent uptick in terror attacks against Israeli security personnel, the IDF is finalizing a new policy to ensure all of its non-combat soldiers are equipped with pepper spray.

Provided the request by the IDF’s operations division’s for the necessary funding is approved, next year’s army recruits not assigned to combat units will be required to carry the self-defense spray, Ynet reported Wednesday.

The operations division initiated the policy as a precautionary measure amid a wave of “lone wolf”-style terror attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians.

An officer said the IDF receives dozens of requests annually from soldiers requesting pepper spray. The officer said most were from soldiers who reported fears for their personal safety. Soldiers living in ultra-Orthodox majority areas, Israeli Arab cities and in West Bank made most of the requests.

A string of sexual assault cases on IDF bases over the last decade has already prompted the military to implement a policy of requiring female soldiers to carry pepper spray as a form of self defense.

The implementation of the new guidelines will cost the IDF some NIS 300,000 (about $79,365).

Last week, a female soldier sustained moderate injuries when stabbed at a checkpoint between Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Bethlehem.