Doctors must not become weapons in the campaign against Israel - editorial

The World Medical Association (WMA) Congress in Rotterdam faces a contentious petition that could establish a problematic precedent for medical ethics. The petition, published in The Lancet and supported by advocacy groups, calls for the punishment of the Israeli Medical Association (IMA) for its alleged "failure to speak out against the genocide of Palestinians."

This editorial argues that expelling Israel's doctors from the WMA, a body founded to ensure physicians uphold universal ethical principles transcending politics, would be a grave injustice. It contends that such a move would politicize the organization, setting a precedent where national medical associations could be expelled not for ethical breaches, but for perceived political stances or failures to condemn government policies. This risks contaminating medicine with politics, contrary to the WMA's foundational intent.

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failure to speak out against the genocide of Palestinians.

The editorial also disputes the portrayal of the IMA as complicit through silence, noting that IMA chairman Prof. Zion Hagay previously sent an open letter to Israel's Defense Minister warning of famine in Gaza and calling for humanitarian conditions. Furthermore, it raises questions about consistency, pointing out that medical associations from countries involved in conflicts or human rights abuses, such as Russia and Iran, remain WMA members. Suspending the IMA, the piece concludes, would not effectively punish Israeli political leadership but would instead undermine the WMA's core principles.

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ensure medical equipment and basic humanitarian conditions.