Embassy of Israel, Yangon

The embassy is situated at No. 15, Khabaung Street, Hlaing Township, Yangon, a city formerly known as Rangoon and formerly Myanmar's capital.[1][2] Consular appointments must be arranged in advance; consular reception hours run Monday through Friday, 09:00–13:00, and telephone reception is available Monday through Friday, 09:00–14:00.[1]

The ambassador's office describes itself as the focal point for diplomatic efforts, strategic decision-making, and the coordination of embassy activities representing Israeli interests in Myanmar.[6] A public-diplomacy department handles community engagement, public outreach, media relations, promotion of Israeli culture, and the embassy's digital communications.[7]

As of September 2026, the mission is headed by Hanan Goder Goldberger, who holds the title of Chargé d'affaires ad interim and Head of Mission and has served in the role since 2025.[5] His public message identifies agriculture, aquaculture, healthcare, education, vocational training, IT, innovation, and tourism as the embassy's priority areas.[5] A 2012 report described the mission as very small, at that time consisting of an ambassador and a security officer.[4]

Myanmar, then officially known as Burma, granted full recognition to Israel in December 1949.[2] Contacts expanded over the following years: a Burmese socialist mission visited Israel in 1952, and Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett led a delegation to the Asian Socialist Congress in Rangoon in 1953.[2] Full diplomatic relations were established that year. AJC and the embassy describe Myanmar as the first Southeast Asian country to recognize Israel.[3][8]

Israel's first minister to Burma, David Hacohen, opened a legation in Rangoon.[2] Israel State Archives documents from 1955 refer to the mission formally as the "Israel Legation in Rangoon" and record that it also served as the channel through which Israel maintained contacts with China.[9] Hacohen met Burmese Prime Minister U Nu on 25 March 1955 to discuss bilateral relations and coordinate efforts to prevent resolutions hostile to Israel at the Bandung Conference.[9] Mordechai Gazit served as chargé d'affaires in Rangoon from June to November 1955, having previously served as first secretary at the Israeli embassy in London.[9]

The archive records that in January 1955, an Israeli commercial delegation traveling to China was also scheduled to visit Rangoon, Manila, and Bangkok. An Israeli Foreign Ministry instruction warned that withdrawing the delegation would damage Israel's influence in Burma and said that preserving this influence also served American interests.[9]

U Nu visited Israel in 1955, becoming the first foreign prime minister to do so.[3] On 1 August 1955, Prime Minister Moshe Sharett wrote to U Nu with proposals to strengthen ties and provide Israeli development assistance.[9] A 1956 bilateral agreement followed, and cooperation expanded rapidly into agriculture, irrigation, nursing, pharmaceuticals, construction, and trade.[2]

Both countries' missions were raised to ambassadorial level in 1957.[2] By the end of 1960, Israel maintained an embassy in Burma; the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs characterized Burma as Israel's "strongest base" in Asia, attributing that position to the "special personal relations" between Prime Ministers David Ben-Gurion and U Nu.[10] Ben-Gurion visited Myanmar for two weeks in 1961, a journey AJC describes as the longest overseas trip by a sitting Israeli prime minister.[3]

Following General Ne Win's 1962 military coup, broad cooperation wound down as his government adopted policies of nationalization, self-reliance, and strict neutrality.[2] A 2012 account reports that the coup caused a rupture in relations that was not repaired until 1988, after which Israel maintained diplomatic ties with Myanmar.[4] Some educational exchanges, expert visits, and trade continued during the difficult years.[2] The embassy's bilateral-relations page reports that 25 Israeli ambassadors have served in Myanmar and describes the relationship as marking 73 years of friendship in 2026.[8]

Since 1994, agricultural and livestock collaboration has involved AICAT (Arava International Center for Agricultural Training), the Granot Agro-Studies Group, and later the Ramat Negev Agro Research Centre.[8] Well over 1,500 Myanmar trainees have participated in training programs in Israel covering irrigation, crop growing, livestock breeding, and related technologies.[8] Israel's international development agency, MASHAV, has also sponsored study tours and training programs for Myanmar participants in education, agriculture, health, and the economy.[8]

Following Cyclone Nargis, Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the American–Jewish Joint Distribution Committee sent eight tons of medical supplies through Malteser International, while the Israeli humanitarian organization Latet delivered more than two tons of food and shelter supplies; Israel also participated in rehabilitation projects in delta-region villages.[8] When severe floods and landslides affected approximately 590,000 people across most of Myanmar's 14 states in July and August 2015, MASHAV provided bug nets, medicine, food, water, and hygiene kits in coordination with the Israeli embassy.[11]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the embassy coordinated the delivery of protective equipment for medical teams at Yangon hospitals—the first such shipment from any country.[12] The embassy also facilitated online discussions between Myanmar doctors and specialists from Sheba and Hadassah hospitals on hospital preparedness.[12] On 4 June 2021, the embassy contributed US$18,000 to the World Food Programme's emergency food-security response in the Yangon region, enabling WFP to purchase 28 metric tons of rice; on 11 August 2021, four portable medical ventilators were donated to Pathein General Hospital in Ayeyarwady Region for COVID-19 patients.[8]

In 2002, Ambassador Yaakov Avrahami organized a business conference in Yangon at which Israeli firms—including Tadiran, Gilat Satellite Networks, Soli Industries, and Amiad Water Systems—presented products to local counterparts.[13] No deals were reported as resulting directly from the conference, though Soli Industries' chief executive noted that it generated business contacts.[13]

In 2020, the embassy worked with Myanmar business leaders on establishing the Myanmar-Israel Chamber of Commerce (MICCI). Its formal launch was scheduled for 26 July 2020 at Yangon's historic synagogue, and the chamber then included 17 senior Myanmar businesspeople alongside Israeli counterparts.[12] Ambassador Ronen Gil-Or described the chamber as a vehicle to expand bilateral trade and bring Israeli technological innovation to Myanmar.[12]

The embassy maintains ties with Yangon's small Jewish community. In December 2016, a visiting American Jewish Committee delegation met Israeli Ambassador Daniel Zonshine, spent Shabbat with the Yangon Jewish community, and visited the Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue—Myanmar's only remaining synagogue.[14]

Also in 2016, a ceremony at the synagogue unveiled a commemorative plaque marking Jewish presence in Myanmar. Attendees included the ambassadors of Israel and Canada to Myanmar, Burmese government ministers, and leaders from Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, and Baha'i communities.[15]

Accounts differ in how they characterize the continuity of Israel–Myanmar relations. A 2020 report describes close diplomatic ties dating from 1953, while a 2012 account records a rupture following the 1962 coup that was not repaired until 1988.[12][4]

A Globes report noted a tension between the Foreign Ministry's stated policy of not promoting commercial relations with Myanmar government bodies and the ambassador's presence at a 2004 meeting between Israeli businessmen and Myanmar's prime minister.[13] An academic study published through Ben-Gurion University's research portal argues that Israel's security ties with Myanmar have taken precedence over human-rights concerns as part of a broader "Look East" policy; this is the study's analytical conclusion rather than an institutional position.[16]