British-Palestinian doctor Rahmeh Aladwan suspended for 15 months pending investigation

A British-Palestinian doctor working for the NHS, Rahmeh Aladwan, has been suspended for 15 months by a medical tribunal, pending a full fitness-to-practise investigation by the General Medical Council (GMC).

The decision was made by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) during an interim orders tribunal (IOT) in Manchester on 26 November 2025. The suspension will be reviewed every six months.

Aladwan, a 31-year-old trainee trauma and orthopaedic surgeon, faces allegations that she posted antisemitic content and expressed support for violent action and proscribed organisations on social media.

The tribunal said that her posts “may impact on patient confidence” in both her and the medical profession, while patients could be “discouraged” from seeking treatment from her.

The GMC began its investigation after receiving complaints that Aladwan made offensive or antisemitic statements online, some of which reportedly encouraged “terrorism”.

The tribunal noted, however, that there was no information to suggest any patient complaints had been raised or that any patients had come to harm. Her lawyer also told the hearing there was “no evidence” that her activities had affected patient safety or her ability to fulfil her duties as a doctor.

Dr Aladwan was previously subject to an interim orders tribunal in September, which decided that no restrictions were necessary.

The case was re-referred to the tribunal on 3 October 2025.

In a statement on social media, Dr Aladwan described the suspension as politically motivated, saying: “Let this decision stand as the definitive proof that there is no independent British medical regulation. The ‘Israeli’ and Jewish lobby decide who can and cannot practise medicine in Britain.”

She added that the suspension was “not an end. It is the beginning of a far greater battle for the integrity of our institutions".

Aladwan was previously arrested at her family home in Gloucestershire in October on suspicion of inciting racial hatred, sending malicious messages, and misusing a public communications network.

Police said the alleged offences related to comments she made at a pro-Palestine rally outside the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in July, which “amounted to calls for the eradication of Israel and implied support for all those involved in armed resistance against Israel, including organisations such as Hamas".

Footage of the arrest, widely shared on social media, shows Dr Aladwan being informed of the charges by officers from London’s Metropolitan Police, even though the arrest was outside London.

She described her arrest as “political theatre” and said she was denied water for more than six hours, refused essential medication, held in a freezing cell without a blanket, and isolated with a disabled intercom.

Aladwan has maintained that her statements, including her support for the Palestinian right to resistance, are legal under UK law and protected under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The GMC’s guidance on social media notes that medical professionals have the right to freedom of belief, privacy, and expression, but that this must be balanced with the potential impact on other people’s rights and interests.

The full fitness-to-practise investigation into Dr Aladwan is ongoing, and the interim suspension does not constitute a ruling on the underlying allegations.