Myanmar Spring Chronicle – June 17 View
(MoeMaKa, June 18, 2025):
Iran-Israel War and the Confusing Stance of Some Myanmar Anti-Junta Activists
The ongoing war between Iran and Israel, including Israel’s recent airstrikes on Tehran and other cities, and its previous military campaign in Gaza—justified as targeting Hamas fighters but which has killed over 50,000 civilians in under two years—has raised questions about how Myanmar’s pro-democracy forces perceive and react to such global events.
For those in Myanmar’s Spring Revolution who claim to stand for democracy, human rights, and against authoritarianism, their stance on these international conflicts—especially involving two regimes with their own records of repression—should be based on values and understanding. It’s also crucial to understand each regime’s foreign policy, and how Israel’s government and military have historically engaged with the Myanmar military.
Declassified Israeli documents from recent years, covering the period since the BSPP (Burma Socialist Programme Party) and SLORC eras, reveal that Israel maintained military and arms sales relations with the Myanmar junta. The respected Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that successive Israeli governments viewed Myanmar’s military as a strategic commercial partner, selling arms and defense technology that helped strengthen the junta’s capabilities—dating back to as early as 1952, when Myanmar’s internal conflict was seen as a business opportunity.
Haaretz wrote that Myanmar’s growing military strength would have been impossible without Israeli weapons and support. Even after the 2021 coup, arms and surveillance technologies like spyware (e.g., Wiretaps) continued to be supplied via intermediaries, according to Haaretz. Notably, Haaretz is not a pro-government outlet—it’s a respected independent newspaper known for holding Israel’s leadership accountable.
These facts matter because some Myanmar political activists, human rights defenders, and public figures who oppose the junta have been seen expressing support for Israel, even as its government—led by Netanyahu—is accused of committing mass civilian killings and ethnic cleansing in Palestine, and now escalating conflict with Iran.
This does not mean that one must support Hamas or Iran’s theocratic regime—which are also problematic. But support for one side in such conflicts should not ignore violations of sovereignty, extrajudicial assassinations, and civilian casualties. These are clear breaches of international norms, and Israel’s actions offer no moral justification for celebration or support.
Israel’s siege of Gaza, which includes aerial bombings, missile attacks, ground invasions, and a months-long blockade denying food and humanitarian aid to over 2 million Palestinians, is even more brutal than the Myanmar junta’s airstrikes in ethnic regions or central Myanmar. This is an uncomfortable but necessary comparison.
In Myanmar, many clearly and bravely oppose the military dictatorship. But when it comes to Palestine or Iran, some show support for Israel, sometimes out of religious alignment (favoring Israel because it’s a Christian-aligned nation), or disapproval of Islam. This double standard undermines the very values of democracy and justice they claim to uphold.
Shockingly, even some MPs, politicians, and human rights activists in Myanmar have been seen cheering or sharing Israeli airstrikes on social media, seemingly unaware—or indifferent—to the fact that Israel sells arms and surveillance tools to the Myanmar junta.
Endorsing mass killings in Gaza, or remaining silent about them, can be seen as a betrayal of global human rights and democratic values.
Those who fight for democracy in Myanmar should not ignore the actions of powerful states that violate international law, simply because those states are Western-aligned or economically dominant.
Israel’s current Prime Minister Netanyahu has, for years, eroded Israel’s judiciary and rule of law to stay in power. Domestic protests erupted, only to be overshadowed by Hamas’ October 7 attacks, which conveniently diverted national focus. The subsequent Israeli offensive in Gaza killed tens of thousands of civilians and resulted in an ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu.
Israel’s recent attacks on Iran—reportedly backed by U.S. support—have been interpreted as attempts to engineer regime change. But regime change is not a right that any foreign power holds; only a country’s own people and political forces can determine that. Any attempt at regime change by force constitutes imperialism and a violation of sovereignty—something no true democrat should support.
The situation in Palestine, and the Iran-Israel war, may not be directly connected to Myanmar—but the patterns of militarization, arms sales, surveillance, and foreign interference are deeply intertwined. That’s why analyzing the Middle East conflict through a principled, values-based lens is essential.