Arms Sales to Myanmar becomes Angry Issue in Israel

Israelis across the political spectrum are expressing anger with the government for allowing arms sales to Myanmar. In doing so, the Jewish state becomes the only Western nation to make weapons available to the regime of what was formerly known as Burma. In a domestic sub-plot, the Israeli judiciary is pitted against the government which has refused to cooperate with the courts based on its position that arm sales are a diplomatic matter and therefore within the exclusive purview of the executive. At issue is the brutality of the Myanmar security forces which are alleged to have murdered, raped and burned the villages of Rohingiya Muslims, a minority sect. The United Nations has called it “ethnic cleansing” while arms sales have been banned by the United States and the European Union.