Illustrative: Rohingya refugees wading while holding a child after crossing the Naf River from Myanmar into Bangladesh in Whaikhyang on October 9, 2017. (AFP/Fred Dufour)
Israel has signed an education agreement with Myanmar allowing each country to “mutually verify” how their histories are taught by the other.
Tuesday’s agreement comes as both countries face international criticism; Myanmar for its treatment of the Rohingya and Israel for using live fire against violent Palestinian protesters storming Gaza’s border.
About 700,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar’s Rakhine state since last August, and US and UN officials have accused Myanmar of “ethnic cleansing.”
Since March 30, tens of thousands of Palestinians have taken part in weekly “March of Return” protests, which Israel says are orchestrated by the ruling Hamas terror group in Gaza and used as cover for attempted attacks and breaches of the border fence.
Palestinians carry a demonstrator injured during clashes with Israeli forces near the border between the Gaza strip and Israel east of Gaza City on May 14, 2018 (AFP PHOTO / Thomas COEX)
The deaths of over 100 Palestinians in the recent clashes were met with international outrage and calls for an independent investigation of events. Hamas and other Gaza terror groups have subsequently claimed at least 53 of the casualties as their own members.
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The agreement with Myanmar allows the countries to “mutually verify school textbooks, particularly … passages referring to the history of the other state and, where needed, introduce corrections.”
Israel has similar agreements with other countries, especially involving Holocaust education in Europe.
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