NHS ‘Jewish supremacy’ doctor suspended for nine months following tribunal hearing

UKLFI highlighted her post on 25 August which characterised Hamas as “a political party and oppressed resistance fighters, NOT terrorists” as potentially breaching Section 12(1A) of the Terrorism Act 2000, which prohibits expressing support for a designated terrorist organisation.

The tribunal hearing noted that Kriesels’ NHS trust had received more than 1,500 complaints, many from patients, raising concerns that she could not provide unbiased care to Jewish families.

Cited her refusal to take down her posts on X as a risk to allowing her to continue to practise, the hearing noted that she “has to date neither removed the posts nor indicated she will not post further comments on X nor attend marches carrying placards which may invite different interpretations from her own. Therefore the risk is that the consequences to date will continue.”

Isobel Thomas, Counsel on behalf of the GMC, told the tribunal hearing: “Her antisemitic views may impact on her ability to provide safe care to members of the population. Jewish families may be concerned they will not receive impartial care from her.”

According to the report from the hearing, Kriesels stated in her witness evidence that she “works in a Jewish area and has Jewish colleagues whom she gets on with” and “treats all of her patients to the best of her ability and does not discriminate”.

The report stated that Kriesels asked “how she can do her job, read and see the news and not speak up against the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank,” adding that she sees it as “her duty as a doctor as well as a human being to speak out”.

The tribunal hearing quoted Kriesels as stating she believed the “morally repugnant ideology known as Zionism...results in terror for the Palestinians” and that Zionism was “underpinned by the ideology that is Jewish supremacy” and “must be dismantled”.

The tribunal hearing determined that an interim suspension was necessary to guard against the potential risks regarding Kriesels’ fitness to practise.

The trust launched a preliminary investigation into Kriesels’ conduct in September, at which point the GMC applied for an interim order of 18 months to carry out a full investigation, but the MPTS concluded on Friday that nine months was a sufficient length of time for the enquiry.

UKLFI said on Saturday that the tribunal hearing’s decision marked “an important step in safeguarding Jewish patients and upholding the integrity of the profession”.

They said: “We welcome the tribunal’s decision. If a doctor publicly disseminates racist, inflammatory, and antisemitic material, and expresses support for a proscribed terrorist organisation, they cannot maintain the trust essential to clinical practice.” 

According to the tribunal hearing notes, Richard O’Dair, Dr Kriesels’ counsel, said that fregarding public safety, “Dr Kriesels has been practising without complaint for 14 years. Mr O’Dair stated that the evidence is that she is a good practitioner. She has practised in the same area for 14 years, one which has a large Jewish community. Dr Kriesels had the same views that she has now during that 14-year period and having those views has not caused her to treat patients badly.”

A specific date for the full fitness-to-practise hearing has not yet been announced.