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Israeli academics have called on prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel an educational agreement with Myanmar?that allows ¡°the Burmese junta¡­the right to interfere in curricula in Israel¡±.

Earlier this year, Israeli deputy foreign minister Tzipi Hotovely signed an agreement on educational cooperation with the Myanmar ambassador U Maung Maung Lynn. This also .

Now, ,?a group of academics and educators led by human rights lawyer Eitay Mack have written to Netanyahu, who serves as both prime minister and foreign minister, saying that ¡°it¡¯s inconceivable that while the Burmese junta is busy committing genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, it has the right to interfere in curricula in Israel¡±.

References in textbooks to Myanmar, they added, had to reflect the many crimes of the military regime, and it was, in any case, not for the foreign ministry to ¡°bypass normal procedures of approving curricula by the ministry of education¡±.

There has also been much criticism within Israel about continuing arms sales to Myanmar at a time when a recent United Nations report has accused the country of ¡°genocidal intent¡± towards its Rohingya Muslim minority.

matthew.reisz@timeshighereducation.com