Doctor who asked ‘are Jewish News readers normal human beings?’ reinstated by medical tribunal
Dr Rehiana Ali also shared conspiracy theories about Jews and 'Jewish extremism'
The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service has lifted the interim suspension of a doctor with a history of spreading conspiracy theories about Jews and talking about “Jewish extremism”, apparently accepting her claim during her hearing that she was speaking “about Israel and Israelis”, despite considerable evidence to the contrary.
Dr Rehiana Ali was suspended last December, when the MPTS’ Interim Orders Tribunal determined to impose an interim order of suspension for a period of 18 months. However, this was overturned yesterday, with the tribunal citing article 10 of the Human Rights Act (freedom of expression). The three-person tribunal also said that it was “satisfied that there is no information before it to suggest that Dr Ali poses a real risk to public safety and, therefore, an interim order is not necessary or proportionate to protect public safety.”
Ali, who previously asked whether Jewish News readers were “normal human beings”, celebrated her suspension being lifted last night by tweeting: “Never compromise because our resistance is righteous.”
Interim Orders Tribunal hearings are generally heard in private, but Ali requested that this hearing be made public one. According to the document setting out the tribunal’s determination, which was sent to Jewish News, “Dr Ali submitted that she was being accused of anti-Jewish hatred and there was not a single tweet that demonstrates hatred of Jews by virtue of them being Jews.”
The tribunal document also said: “Dr Ali submitted that her Tweets criticising Israel did not occur in a vacuum, there is a live holocaust, and she has every right to criticise such an abomination. Dr Ali said that she did not talk about the Jewish [sic], she spoke about Israel and Israelis.”
The document also makes clear that the General Medical Council (GMC), which had originally referred the case of Ali to the GMC, supported the interim order of suspension on Ali being maintained – an attitude which the tribunal did not ultimately share.
The GMC does not have the ability itself to suspend or expel doctors – it can refer such cases to the MPTS. While separate from the GMC, the MPTS is accountable both to the GMC’s General Council, as well as to Parliament.
Ali’s comments regularly mention “Jewish extremism”, not linked to Israel. She shared a claim that “Judaism is the only religion in human history whose religious texts (e.g., Mishneh Torah) literally prescribe a sacred command to kill every Christian on earth”, with her own statement above the claim saying “I think people need to address jewish extremism especially Christians.”
Ali also shared a tweet from a far-right extremist which falsely claimed that “a Jewish extremist crucified an Arizonan Christian pastor”. Despite a Hebrew-language tattoo on the neck of the American perpetrator, Adam Christopher Sheafe, his family have clarified that he is a Christian, with an extreme interest in the Old Testament. Ali’s comment alongside the shared claim said “Jewish extremism is a huge problem – some of you call it Zionism but this simply masks the problem. The extremism needs dealing with.”
In response to a claim from a Palestinian that “if this had been done to us by anyone other than the Jews, intervention would have happened long ago…because admit it, you are afraid of them”, Ali said “This is very much the case.
“This is the biggest example of Jewish privilege. Most people can’t even say the ‘j’ word. The jew taboo is too great. You all wouldn’t hesitate to say Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist, but you stop at Jewish.”
Despite the tribunal’s finding, Jewish News understands that since news of the MPTS’s decision broke last night, a number of Jewish doctors have also expressed significant concern for the safety of any Jewish patients who might be referred to Ali for care.
Ali also has form in sharing conspiracy theories aimed at Jews, including the false claim that “4,000 Jews did not show up to work” on 9/11 and an attempt to ask whether Richard Nixon’s identification of a number of people as Jewish in White House tape recordings “explained” the Watergate scandal which led to his resignation. Ali expressed apparent stupefaction at the GMC adding this particular conspiracy theory to the complaint against her, saying: “If a President identifies a group as a problem (we are not here debating whether he was correct to do so) and then he’s ousted…it is LOGICAL to ask if aforementioned group was responsible.”
Ali has also previously appeared to express support for both Hamas and Hezbollah, which are both proscribed as terrorist organisations in the UK. In November 2024, she shared a description of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s last days, which described the man who planned and carried out the 7 October massacres as a “legend”. Another tweet shared by Ali read “The heroic and resilient children of Seyed Hassan Nasrallah [the former leader of Hezbollah] are humiliating the Zionist enemy on the battlefield.”
In June, Ali was reportedly arrested and detained in the UK after returning from a visit to Kashmir. While the reason for the arrest has not been given, Ali has subsequently begun prefacing anything shared about Hamas by claiming that she is “sharing news”, citing the “terror police”, apparently believing that they are monitoring her social media output.
The tribunals report makes clear that Ali asked the tribunal to put on record that her arrest would not be considered by the tribunal, which it confirmed. Later the tribunal document states that Ali “further reminded the Tribunal that she does not have criminal record [sic] and is unlikely to have one”. It is unclear how Ali was so confident in that second assertion, and there is nothing in the tribunal document to suggest she was questioned on this point.
Claudia Mendoza, CEO of the Jewish Leadership Council, said: “It is vital that Jewish patients are able to trust that their doctor will treat them without prejudice. Dr Ali’s portfolio of antisemitic comments, including describing Hamas as “legends”, severely undermines this trust. The MPTS’s decision to reinstate her is inexplicable and they must take urgent action to ensure the safety of Jewish patients.”
A spokesperson for the CST said: “The decision by the MPTS to lift Dr Rehiana Ali’s interim suspension is deeply concerning. The increasing prevalence of healthcare professionals expressing support for extremist and antisemitic views represents a grave threat to public trust and this decision sends entirely the wrong signal.”
Dr Ali is a consultant neurologist who has worked for the NHS for 21 years and spent a decade at London’s Imperial College. She is also a former Parliamentary candidate, standing in Bradford South as an independent last year. She received 3,345 votes, placing fifth out of nine candidates.
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