British Palestinian NHS doctor 'silenced' by UK medical council after arrest over pro-Palestine comments

A British Palestinian doctor working for the NHS was silenced by the General Medical Council (GMC) during a disciplinary hearing on Thursday, two days after being arrested at her family home on suspicion of "inciting racial hatred".

Dr Rahmeh Aladwan, 31, was charged with sending malicious communications and misusing a public communications network. According to police, comments she made at a pro-Palestine rally "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".

Documents from the GMC, shared online, show that Aladwan was barred from speaking during her hearing.

One submission stated: "The GMC strongly opposes any application from Dr Aladwan to ask direct questions of the panel members and GMC counsel at any stage during the course of these proceedings."

Journalist and producer David Miller, who attended the hearing, said Aladwan was interrupted mid-sentence by a panel member and prevented from challenging questions.

In a post on X before the hearing, Aladwan said: "In 12 hours, the GMC will try to destroy my career and livelihood to please its masters in the Israeli lobby. Let’s be clear: a British Jewish or Israeli doctor could join the terrorist IOF, bomb hospitals, and kill patients in Palestine - and keep their licence and freely practise."

In 12 hours, the @gmcuk will try to destroy my career and livelihood to please its masters in the 'israeli' lobby.

Let's be clear: A British jewish or 'israeli' doctor could join the terrorist IOF, bomb hospitals, and kill patients in Palestine—and keep their licence and freely…

— Dr Rahmeh Aladwan (@doctor_rahmeh) October 22, 2025

The GMC has reportedly said that Aladwan was re-referred because of comments she had continued to make on social media, though she insisted all her statements were lawful.

Her counsel argued that the GMC had come under pressure from the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), which allegedly threatened legal action unless she was disciplined. They also said UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting made "public, prejudicial remarks about the case", while the CAA itself boasted of having prompted the GMC’s investigation.

Aladwan's arrest was filmed and widely circulated on social media. In posts following her release, she said her detention was "political theatre", claiming that police had travelled from London to her hometown of Gloucestershire to arrest her just days before her GMC hearing.

She said she was "denied water for over six hours, refused essential medication, held in a freezing cell, denied a blanket, and isolated with a disabled intercom", describing the treatment as "punitive measures".

On Wednesday, she reiterated her position that Palestinians have the right to resist and called for Hamas to be delisted as a proscribed organisation in the UK.

In a statement, Aladwan's legal team said the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service found that her posts "posed no threat to patient safety, she had an unblemished record, zero complaints from patients, no evidence of misconduct, and her right to free speech under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights was engaged and protected".