Lebanese Doctors Cancel Israeli-American Surgeon’s Participation in Beirut Surgery Conference
Lebanese doctors successfully blocked the participation of senior Israeli-American surgeon Professor Sharona Ross in the 27th Lebanese Spring Surgery Conference held recently at the Le Royal Hotel in Dbayeh, north of Beirut. Ross was scheduled to join the event via Zoom, organized by the Lebanese Society of General Surgery, but opposition from Lebanese medical figures, including the head of the Lebanese Physicians Association Elias Shalala and Hezbollah-affiliated Health Minister Rakkan Nasser al-Din, led to the cancellation. The opposition was spearheaded by a Lebanese initiative called "Boycott/Resistance-Lebanon," which supports the academic and medical boycott of Israel and praised the cancellation as a commitment to Lebanese law and rejection of normalization with Israel.
The controversy reignited debate in Lebanon over the boundaries of professional neutrality when it comes to Israeli participation in Lebanese academic and medical events. Ross, who served two years in the Israel Defense Forces, has previously credited her military experience with shaping her medical career, remarks that the Lebanese initiative claims help whitewash the Israeli military’s actions in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria. Opponents argued that the issue extends beyond one doctor or a single virtual conference, reflecting the growing global academic boycott movement against Israel. They urged Lebanese medical and academic institutions to carefully vet their programs and guest lists to avoid similar incidents.
The Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, affiliated with Hezbollah, highlighted that the cancellation raises broader questions about whether medical institutions can separate professional activity from political and ethical responsibility during wartime. The boycott initiative’s position is clear: "Medicine cannot be separated from ethics, and Beirut should not become a conduit for breaking the isolation of Israeli institutions and figures." Lebanon enforces a boycott law prohibiting contact with Israelis, and calls to boycott Israeli individuals and cultural products are not new. Professor Ross has not yet responded to the cancellation.
