ALBAWABA - In an investigation by Haaretz newspaper, it was revealed that at least four shipments from government-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) were allegedly sent to Myanmar's defense procurement directorate, listed as "aircraft parts" and "metal plates" with the most recent dating back to March 2022.
The latest alleged shipment came just over a year after the ousting of Aung San Suu Kyi, where Myanmar's military leaders seized power and detained a number of civilian leaders.
Elbit Systems, an Israeli Aerospace and defense company, supplied additional military equipment to Myanmar's air force, including parts for unmanned aerial vehicles and a remotely operated naval turret equipped with a 25mm gun, according to the report.
Commenting on Haaretz's report, Israeli lawyer Eitay Mack told Middle East Eye: "It turns out that Israel lied when it claimed to have stopped all its military exports to [Myanmar] in 2018. Israeli military exports continue just in a more sophisticated manner".
Haaretz cited documents and anonymous sources to show that Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems, which has factories in the UK, and state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) continued to trade with Myanmar after the country's military coup in 2021, despite government orders to stop.
According to the investigation, IAI has sent at least four shipments totaling around 250 metric tons to Myanmar from Israel since 2018, the most recent in March 2022. The recipient was appointed as the Director of Defence Procurement in Myanmar.
Despite shipping documents indicating "aircraft parts" and "metal plates," insiders told the paper that the cargo could have been Dvora-class patrol boats supplied by IAI to Myanmar's navy. The last two were built in Myanmar and will be commissioned in December 2022, a year after the military coup.
Following the report findings, Yadanar Maung, the spokesperson for Justice For Myanmar, called for an investigation into the Israeli companies' ties to Myanmar.
"The Myanmar military is waging a campaign of terror against the people with indiscriminate air strikes, murder, rape and torture,” she explained. “This is the context in which IAI and Elbit have been equipping the military, knowing full well it is responsible for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity" Yadanar Maung stated.
