Supporters of Palestine in Britain have launched a campaign to defend British-Palestinian plastic surgeon Ghassan Abu Sittah, amid concerns that the General Medical Counci l (GMC) is seeking to bar him from practising due to his role in exposing Israeli crimes against Palestinians.
The Medical Practitioners Tribunal had cleared Abu Sittah of charges including "antisemitism" and "support for terrorism", following a campaign led by a pro-Israel lobbying group in the United Kingdom.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign , one of the largest pro-Palestinian groups in Britain, has called on the public to write to the GMC leadership demanding their resignation over a "false and illegitimate attack" on Abu Sittah.
The GMC has announced it will turn to the High Court to challenge the tribunal ruling that cleared him of all allegations.
A draft letter circulated by campaigners expresses " grave concern regarding the current direction of the General Medical Council (regarding Abu Sittah) and its impact on trust in the profession and the health system as a whole".
It strongly criticises the council's decision to pursue the case despite his acquittal, stating that the resignation of the GMC’s chief executive and chair is "a necessary step to restore credibility, rebuild trust, and protect the integrity of medical regulation in Britain ".
According to the campaign, thousands of doctors have already called on the council leadership to resign over its position on Abu Sittah , but organisers say there is a need to increase pressure.
Despite mounting criticism, the GMC insists on referring the case to the High Court. A spokesperson told The New Arab that "exercising our right to appeal is something we do with great care and after careful consideration".
The spokesperson added that the council’s focus was "on protecting the public", noting its belief that "it is right to appeal the decision given the nature of the allegations" against Abu Sittah.
Abu Sittah graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1993 and has spent more than three decades treating civilians injured in wars. He is widely known as a prominent voice documenting the impact of Israeli crimes against Palestinians.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign said it believes the GMC was "targeting Dr Abu Sittah following pressure from UK Lawyers for Israel ", describing the case as a "shameful attempt to silence Palestinians and prevent them from defending the safety of their people and broader principles of justice".
The GMC referred Abu Sittah to the tribunal after receiving a complaint from the lawyers’ group in December 2023, less than two months after the start of Israel's genocidal war in the Gaza Strip .
The complaint accused him of antisemitism and support for terrorism, arguing that his actions undermined "the protection of the health, safety and life of the public" and confidence in the medical profession.
According to the tribunal ruling, the complaint cited a 2018 article by Abu Sittah published in the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar , as well as reposted content on X.
In the article, Abu Sittah described Palestinian fighter Ahmed Nasr Jarrar, who was killed by the Israeli army in 2018, as a "martyr… at the hands of the Zionist occupation army". The complaint also cited his criticism of the Palestinian Authority for coordinating with Israeli forces.
However, the tribunal concluded in January that a reader would understand the article as criticism of Palestinian authorities and Israeli occupation forces, not hostility towards Jewish people.
Regarding reposted material on X referring to "congratulations to our brothers in Hamas and our comrades in the Popular Front on the anniversary of their founding", the tribunal found no evidence that the repost constituted support for terrorism.
It said a reader would recognise the historical significance of these groups within the Palestinian context and would not interpret it as support for violent acts.
The panel ruled that Abu Sittah had not committed misconduct warranting a ban from practising.
However, pro-Israel lawyers criticised the ruling, describing it as raising "serious concern", and later submitted a petition urging the Professional Standards Authority to request a High Court review.
They argued that key evidence had not been fully examined and said this undermines public confidence in the profession.
In February last year, the GMC decided to appeal the tribunal's decision before the High Court on the grounds of "protecting the public".
According to its spokesperson, the council aims to prove that Abu Sittah's posts "included comments that explicitly support violence and terrorism" and that their intent was "to support violence and terrorism".
The council also seeks to prove that the Palestinian doctor "explicitly supports a proscribed organisation and terrorism".
The case is now set to proceed before the High Court. Article translated from Arabic by Afrah Almatwari. To read the original, click here .