London-based Palestinian doctor accused of antisemitism suspended

A London-based Palestinian doctor accused of antisemitism has had her UK registration suspended for 15 months.

Dr Rahmeh Aladwan is being investigated by the General Medical Council (GMC) over a series of posts and comments across various social media platforms, a tribunal heard this week.

This had followed a number of complaints, including from the Jewish Medical Association UK and the Campaign Against Antisemitism.

On Wednesday, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) imposed a 15-month interim suspension on her registration, with a review every six months.

GMC counsel Emma Gilsenan told the tribunal that Dr Aladwan’s posts allegedly included content that “justifies terrorism, denies sexual violence, includes antisemitic conspiracy theories, misuses Holocaust and Nazi imagery and expresses support for proscribed groups and terrorist acts”.

Dr Aladwan allegedly referred to the Royal Free Hospital in London as a “Jewish supremacy cesspit”, Ms Gilsenan added.

She also alleged Dr Aladwan had doxxed – published identfying information about – colleagues who raised concerns about her and expressed explicit support for Hamas and Palestine Action, which was added to the list of proscribed terror groups earlier this year.

Ms Gilsenan said it was “unconscionable to consider that Dr Aladwan should be permitted to continue to practise”.

Dr Aladwan’s lawyer, Kevin Saunders, submitted that the posts “fell into the category of legitimate political speech and debate”.

He added that she denies making racist or hate speech, and that there was “no information to suggest Dr Aladwan presents a real and immediate risk to patient safety”.

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Dr Aladwan was arrested last month on suspicion of misusing a public communications network, sending malicious communications and stirring up racial hatred.

The investigation by the Metropolitan Police relates to allegations that comments made at a July protest in London, and online in recent months, were “grossly offensive and antisemitic”.

The MPTS had ruled in September it would not impose interim conditions on Dr Aladwan’s registration because it did not believe complaints against her were “sufficient to establish that there may be a real risk to patients”.

‘Patients may be discouraged from seeking treatment from her’

But on Wednesday, the tribunal’s chair, Lee Davies, found the alleged conduct “may impact on patient confidence in both her and the profession and patients may be discouraged from seeking treatment from her”.

He added that “additional information” had been made available since September which may “may indicate an escalation in the tone and nature of Dr Aladwan’s activities and posts which may be considered to be extreme, offensive and antisemitic”.

Mr Davies said: “The tribunal considers that the allegations, if found proved, are serious and appear to have arisen from persistent and prolonged posting of potentially egregious material which has been widely disseminated by Dr Aladwan, resulting in a number of individual complaints made to the GMC.

“While the tribunal is mindful of Dr Aladwan’s freedom of expression rights, it has noted a number of comments which allegedly support and celebrate terrorist acts and organisations, and promote violent action and offensive Jewish tropes.”