Israel lobby group UKLFI and GMC pursuing Dr Abu-Sittah for 11th time

The General Medical Council (GMC) is continuing its shameful collusion with the Israel lobby by again trying to remove the medical licence of British-Palestinian surgeon Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah.

For the 11th time.

In January 2026, Abu-Sittah defeated the tenth attempt by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) and the GMC to have him struck off. UKLFI has been described as one of the two main Israel lobby “apartheid apologist” groups, alongside front-group ‘CAA’. His supposed ‘offence’ has been to speak out about what he saw as a volunteer doctor in Gaza: Israel’s genocide, war crimes, and the suffering, injury and death of its Palestinian victims.

This, according to UKLFI and the GMC, discriminated against his Jewish patients – itself a grossly antisemitic claim given the prevalence of Jewish people among opponents of Israel’s crimes.

‘Politically acceptable’ harassment

But the GMC, to its indelible disgrace, has now appealed the tribunal’s decision to dismiss its tenth attack. This is forcing Abu-Sittah to again crowdfund for legal costs – this time estimated to be around £150,000. He said of the GMC’s decision:

When the MPTS rejected the allegations, I felt that a two-year period of continuous harassment and attempts to undermine my credibility, including my evidence before the ICC and ICJ, had finally come to an end.

What the GMC is saying is that it will keep going until it gets the decision it deems politically acceptable.

The significant cost of pursuing this appeal, borne by fee-paying GMC members, raises serious questions about the degree of external political pressure being exerted on the regulator.

I do not, and have never, supported violence against civilians. The allegations made against me were rejected by the tribunal and, in my view, form part of a broader attempt to discredit my professional and humanitarian work.

He added that he has received an “outpouring of support” from Jewish colleagues.

McCarthyite foreign interest group

UKLFI, whose name makes clear it serves the interests of a foreign power, has attacked everything from a display of plates painted by Palestinian children to Netflix — is well known for its attempts to suppress pro-Palestinian speech and solidarity, particularly in the NHS and in the media-cultural sector.

It recently intimidated a gallery owner into ending a smash-hit art show.

UKLFI has forced the resignation of a university museum director for daring to host a display by technical experts who exposed Israeli lies during the genocide.

Despite being thoroughly discredited, the genocide-shielding group UK Lawyers for Israel still managed to persuade the General Medical Council to pursue a lawfare-style antisemitism complaint against Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah.

The surgeon has incensed Israel’s apologists by…

— Jonathan Cook (@Jonathan_K_Cook) March 2, 2026

It tried to force Tower Hamlets Council in London to take down Palestinian flags put up by residents in solidarity with Gaza, by claiming that local Jewish residents felt threatened.

Along with its fellow apartheid apologist group, the so-called ‘Campaign Against Antisemitism’ (CAA), UKLFI has fallen foul of regulators. CAA has been subjected to regulatory action for its political smears and humiliated in court for false accusations against comedian Reginald D Hunter. UKLFI is currently being investigated for vexatious threats.

Featured image via the Canary