Israeli Medical Association faces professional boycott petition
Middle East Monitor reported on June 15th that over a thousand health professionals are demanding a boycott of the Israeli Medical Association (IMA).
A petition calling for a boycott of the IMA has gathered more than 1,150 signatures from health professionals and organizations. The boycott accuses the association of failing to uphold medical ethics during Israel’s genocide in Gaza. The campaign, led by the People’s Health Movement (PHM), Artsen voor Gaza and the Health Advisory Council of Jewish Voice for Peace demands the IMA be suspended from the World Medical Association (WMA).
Campaigners accuse the IMA of silence in the face of Israel’s destruction of Gaza’s health system, the killing and detention of Palestinian medical workers, alongside torture in Israeli detention centres.
According to PHM the campaign is seeking to “end medical complicity” and press the global medical community into action against what is described as the IMA’s failure to condemn attacks on healthcare in Gaza. PHM says 1,722 Palestinian healthcare workers have been killed since October 2023. Additionally medical buildings and ambulances have been the target of attacks, crippling Gaza’s health system.
The Lancet reported the campaign wants the IMA’S suspension placed on the agenda of the WMA General Assembly in October. The journal additionally noted that it had not identified a public statement in which the IMA condemned Israeli attacks on Gaza’s health system, criticised Israel’s conduct in the genocide, nor called for a ceasefire or responded to UN reports of a genocide of Palestinians.
PHM says Palestinian health workers have been “systematically targeted” in the destruction of the Palestinian health system. The campaign demands that WMA member associations formally raise the issue, show disciplinary measures and recognise Palestinian medical representation within the WMA.
The IMA directly rejected the accusations in comments to The Lancet, describing them as “lies” or “highly contested allegations presented as fact.” The group argues that calls for IMA’s expulsion confuse the actions of a government with those of a medical association and warned such a move would weaken international medical dialogue.
The WMA also told The Lancet that it values engagement with its 117 national medical association members and opposes excluding members over the actions of their governments.
The group says dialogue among physicians during global conflicts and humanitarian crises is essential. However campaigners argue that dialogue without accountability risks normalising the destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system.
Middle East Monitor, Maghrebi
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