The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents over 200,000 doctors in the UK, this week voted to reject the use of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition on antisemitism within the NHS.
The motion, which was passed at the union’s annual representatives meeting (ARM), raised concerns about the application of the definition, and called for an immediate investigation into its impact on legitimate political speech and professional expression on Israel's actions in Palestine, as well as the right for healthcare bodies to challenge attempts to use it to suppress debate on human rights violations and war crimes.
Its passage means that BMA members can lobby the government, NHS England, and stakeholders for policy change on these issues.
The BMA told Middle East Eye in a statement: “Doctors have witnessed in horror the humanitarian crisis that has unfolded during the Middle East conflict, with the devastating loss of civilian life and in particular, the attacks on healthcare workers and healthcare facilities, and must be able to legitimately challenge the actions of states and armed forces without being unfairly accused of any kind of discrimination, or threatened with disciplinary action.”
