'Medicine is no place for politics': IMA pushes back against proposed global boycott

The Israel Medical Association (IMA) is strongly opposing a petition to suspend it from the World Medical Association (WMA), asserting that political disputes should not impact medical organizations. Malke Borow, Director of the Division of Law and Policy at the IMA, told The Jerusalem Post that such attempts are not new, recalling a similar petition about 20 years ago. The current petition, published in The Lancet, was coordinated by health organizations including People’s Health Movement and Artsen voor Gaza, accusing the IMA of failing to speak out against alleged genocide and the destruction of healthcare infrastructure in Gaza.

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Even if you don't agree with all Israel's government's policies, that has nothing to do with the Medical Association.

Borow dismissed the petition as "childish" and expressed little concern about its success, noting the IMA's "strong position within the World Medical Association" and its numerous supporters. She highlighted that the WMA itself has stated it opposes excluding members based on their governments' actions, as it hinders dialogue and the ability to address injustices. The IMA has prepared a counter-petition emphasizing that medical ethics should apply universally, regardless of political disagreements with a government's policies.

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It's more their loss than ours. It's just really childish. They won't even, like, speak to us when we're at the same meetings. And they won't work with us. We asked to speak to them, to meet with them, but they were just not interested.

Despite confidence in its standing within the WMA, Borow voiced concern over the negative publicity and misinformation being spread about Israel and the IMA. She mentioned that one of the petition's proponents, British psychiatrist Derek Summerfield, has been persistently targeting the IMA for two decades. The IMA aims to counter the narrative by reinforcing its commitment to medical ethics and opposing the politicization of medicine.

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I can't say I'm terribly concerned. We have a very strong position within the World Medical Association. We have many friends and supporters there. We're very active and I'm not really concerned that they're going to throw us out.