Over 5,000 Doctors Worldwide Oppose Boycott of Israeli Medical Association

More than 5,000 doctors from 46 countries have signed a petition urging the World Medical Association to reject calls to expel the Israeli Medical Association. This response follows a recent initiative published in the British medical journal The Lancet, where about 1,000 doctors worldwide called for a boycott and removal of the Israeli Medical Association from the global body.

In reaction to the boycott proposal, the Israeli Medical Association appealed to the World Medical Association to prevent discrimination and keep politics out of medicine. The counter-petition, signed by physicians from countries including Canada, Brazil, Germany, Spain, France, and Italy, emphasized that medical organizations should remain spaces for universal scientific collaboration rather than tools for political exclusion.

The petition stated that exclusion or boycotts are aggressive actions contrary to the medical mission. It also challenged the accusations against the Israeli Medical Association as either outright false or highly disputed claims presented as facts, ignoring Hamas's role in damaging Gaza's healthcare system and violating the Geneva Conventions.