Surgeon suspended over 'objectively antisemitic' posts

A senior surgeon has been suspended over what were described at a tribunal as "objectively antisemitic" social media posts.

Muhammad Khalil posted "Death to Israel" across an image of the Star of David on Instagram in 2023 following the attacks on Israel by Hamas on 7 October that year, which killed about 1,200 people.

UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLI) complained, arguing that his social media posts had brought his profession into disrepute and that Jewish patients would not feel safe in his care.

A Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) panel also found the posts to have fallen outside legitimate debate and/or criticism of Israel, and supportive of violence.

UKLI raised its complaint in October 2023, days after the Hamas attacks on Israel.

Some of Khalil's close friends were said to have been killed after Israel launched a massive military operation in Gaza.

More than 73,000 people have been killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.

Some of Khalil's posts contained references to the "complete annihilation and eradication of Israel", and claimed that the "Israeli and western fabrication of news that started on 7/10 is shameless and unprecedented".

Khalil was practising as a senior clinical fellow of vascular surgery at Aintree University Hospital, a part of the Royal Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Trust.

When he was interviewed by trust bosses in December 2023 he said he would not make such posts again.

The tribunal recorded that he had said: "I never done anything like this even when I was younger. I was an activist in Egypt.

"I have never done anything like this... I was emotional, and I made a mistake."

The surgeon said someone had taken a screenshot of the posts and "sent it to an organisation called stop antisemitics".

Colette Renton, on behalf of the GMC, said each of the allegations were "not merely trivial or inconsequential" and "not a temporary lapse or something excusable or forgivable".

She told the tribunal Khalil had always maintained that his online conduct was neither antisemitic nor supportive of violence.

But she said he did not engage with regulatory proceedings and instead alleged he was being persecuted by the nature of the GMC investigation.

Renton added that any apologies he had made were made "with the intention of securing a new work post".

Khalid was suspended for a minimum of nine months.

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