Pressure mounts to suspend Israeli medical association from global body

What Happened

A petition with over 1,300 signatories, organised by The People’s Health Movement, Artsen voor Gaza, and the health wing of Jewish Voice for Peace, calls for the Israeli Medical Association (IMA) to be suspended from the World Medical Association (WMA). The petition alleges the IMA failed to uphold medical ethics and was complicit in violations of medical neutrality by Israel’s government and military, citing attacks on healthcare in Palestine, Lebanon, and Iran, and the IMA’s alleged endorsement of a call by 80 Israeli doctors to bomb Gaza hospitals in November 2023. The Lancet published an article noting the IMA had not condemned Israeli attacks on Gaza’s health system. The IMA responded that the accusations are lies or contested allegations, and that suspending it would confuse a country’s government with its medical association. The WMA stated suspension would damage scientific collaboration and set a dangerous precedent of political isolation. The petition targets the WMA General Assembly in Rotterdam in early October.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The campaign reflects mounting international pressure on Israeli institutions over the conduct of the Gaza war, extending into professional and ethical bodies. A suspension would isolate Israeli physicians globally and could establish a precedent for politically motivated expulsions from international health organisations, while also spotlighting debates over medical ethics during armed conflict.

Watch For

The WMA General Assembly in Rotterdam in early October is the next concrete forum where the suspension may be debated or decided. Reactions from other national medical associations—following the lead of the South African and British medical associations—and potential counter‑campaigns or alternative resolutions will indicate the trajectory of this effort.