{"id":6534,"date":"2025-06-19T02:53:26","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T20:23:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moemaka.net\/eng\/?p=6534"},"modified":"2025-06-19T02:53:28","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T20:23:28","slug":"iran-israel-war-and-the-confusing-stance-of-some-myanmar-anti-junta-activists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moemaka.net\/eng\/2025\/06\/iran-israel-war-and-the-confusing-stance-of-some-myanmar-anti-junta-activists\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran-Israel War and the Confusing Stance of Some Myanmar Anti-Junta Activists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Myanmar Spring Chronicle \u2013 June 17 View<\/strong><\/p>\n

(MoeMaKa, June 18, 2025):<\/p>\n

\n

Iran-Israel War and the Confusing Stance of Some Myanmar Anti-Junta Activists<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The ongoing war between Iran and Israel<\/strong>, including Israel\u2019s recent airstrikes on Tehran and other cities, and its previous military campaign in Gaza\u2014justified as targeting Hamas fighters but which has killed over 50,000 civilians in under two years<\/strong>\u2014has raised questions about how Myanmar\u2019s pro-democracy forces<\/strong> perceive and react to such global events.<\/p>\n

For those in Myanmar\u2019s Spring Revolution who claim to stand for democracy<\/strong>, human rights<\/strong>, and against authoritarianism, their stance on these international conflicts\u2014especially involving two regimes with their own records of repression\u2014should be based on values and understanding. It\u2019s also crucial to understand each regime\u2019s foreign policy, and how Israel\u2019s government and military have historically engaged with the Myanmar military<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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<\/strong>. The respected Israeli newspaper Haaretz<\/strong> reported that successive Israeli governments viewed Myanmar\u2019s military as a strategic commercial partner, selling arms and defense technology that helped strengthen the junta\u2019s capabilities\u2014dating back to as early as 1952<\/strong>, when Myanmar\u2019s internal conflict was seen as a business opportunity.<\/p>\n

Haaretz wrote that Myanmar\u2019s growing military strength would have been impossible without Israeli weapons and support<\/strong>. Even after the 2021 coup, arms and surveillance technologies like spyware (e.g., Wiretaps)<\/strong> continued to be supplied via intermediaries, according to Haaretz. Notably, Haaretz is not a pro-government outlet\u2014it\u2019s a respected independent newspaper known for holding Israel\u2019s leadership accountable.<\/p>\n

These facts matter because some Myanmar political activists, human rights defenders, and public figures who oppose the junta<\/strong> have been seen expressing support for Israel<\/strong>, even as its government\u2014led by Netanyahu\u2014is accused of committing mass civilian killings and ethnic cleansing<\/strong> in Palestine, and now escalating conflict with Iran.<\/p>\n

This does not mean that one must support Hamas<\/strong> or Iran\u2019s theocratic regime<\/strong>\u2014which are also problematic. But support for one side in such conflicts should not ignore violations of sovereignty, extrajudicial assassinations, and civilian casualties<\/strong>. These are clear breaches of international norms, and Israel\u2019s actions offer no moral justification<\/strong> for celebration or support.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s siege of Gaza<\/strong>, which includes aerial bombings, missile attacks, ground invasions, and a months-long blockade denying food and humanitarian aid to over 2 million Palestinians<\/strong>, is even more brutal than the Myanmar junta\u2019s airstrikes in ethnic regions or central Myanmar<\/strong>. This is an uncomfortable but necessary comparison.<\/p>\n

In Myanmar, many clearly and bravely oppose the military dictatorship. But when it comes to Palestine or Iran<\/strong>, some show support for Israel, sometimes out of religious alignment (favoring Israel because it\u2019s a Christian-aligned nation), or disapproval of Islam. This double standard<\/strong> undermines the very values of democracy and justice they claim to uphold.<\/p>\n

Shockingly, even some MPs, politicians, and human rights activists<\/strong> in Myanmar have been seen cheering or sharing Israeli airstrikes on social media<\/strong>, seemingly unaware\u2014or indifferent\u2014to the fact that Israel sells arms and surveillance tools to the Myanmar junta<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Endorsing mass killings in Gaza, or remaining silent about them, can be seen as a betrayal of global human rights and democratic values<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Those who fight for democracy in Myanmar should not ignore the actions of powerful states<\/strong> that violate international law<\/strong>, simply because those states are Western-aligned or economically dominant.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s current Prime Minister Netanyahu has, for years, eroded Israel\u2019s judiciary and rule of law<\/strong> to stay in power. Domestic protests erupted, only to be overshadowed by Hamas\u2019 October 7 attacks<\/strong>, which conveniently diverted national focus. The subsequent Israeli offensive in Gaza killed tens of thousands of civilians and resulted in an ICC arrest warrant<\/strong> for Netanyahu.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s recent attacks on Iran\u2014reportedly backed by U.S. support<\/strong>\u2014have been interpreted as attempts to engineer regime change<\/strong>. But regime change is not a right that any foreign power holds<\/strong>; only a country\u2019s own people and political forces can determine that. Any attempt at regime change by force constitutes imperialism<\/strong> and a violation of sovereignty<\/strong>\u2014something no true democrat should support.<\/p>\n

The situation in Palestine, and the Iran-Israel war, may not be directly connected to Myanmar\u2014but the patterns of militarization, arms sales, surveillance, and foreign interference<\/strong> are deeply intertwined. That\u2019s why analyzing the Middle East conflict through a principled, values-based lens<\/strong> is essential.<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The ongoing Iran-Israel war raises critical questions about Myanmar’s anti-junta activists’ stances on global conflicts. Many express support for Israel despite its history of militaristic ties to Myanmar’s junta. This hypocrisy undermines their claimed values of democracy and human rights, highlighting the complexities of foreign relations and moral accountability in activism.<\/p>\n

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