The boycott of the Israeli Medical Association by the British Medical Association: a critical appraisal

This Current Controversy article critically reviews the recent motion by delegates of the British Medical Association to boycott the Israel Medical Association (IMA) for not upholding medical neutrality. While I generally support this motion, I disagree with the reasons justifying it. I also argue that the main issue here is not whether the IMA upheld medical neutrality but rather whether it upheld its duty to engage in political and social advocacy, by which I mean espousing a moral stance and lobbying the Israeli government and the Israeli public to accept it and act on it. Lastly, I argue that the greatest value in the boycott of the IMA lies in its symbolism of solidarity and deontological justification rather than its utility.