Israeli doctor may lose license after celebrating death of IDF officer

Dr. Falah posted a picture of fallen IDF officer Colonel Ehsan Daxa and wrote,’May this be the fate of every criminal – resistance is avenged.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The Ethics Bureau of the Israel Medical Association is requesting the suspension of the license of Dr. Batla Falah after she celebrated news of the death of Israel’s highest-ranking casualty so far in the Gaza war.

Dr. Falah, who previously worked at  Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer but is now employed abroad, posted on Instagram an image of Colonel Ehsan Daxa with the caption, “May this be the fate of every criminal – resistance is avenged.”

Colonel Daxa,  commander of the 401st Armored Brigade, fell battling terrorists in Gaza. The head of the Daliyat al-Carmel council eulogized him: “A hero, brave, a fighter who became a legend, a humble man who fought since the beginning of the war.”

Chairman of the Ethics Bureau Dr. Yossef Walfisch issued a letter of complaint about Dr. Falah to Israel’s Health Ministry, citing a regulation adopted in 2014 that doctors should exercise care when posting on social media and restraint during politically volatile periods.

Freedom of speech is a right for all citizens, including doctors,” wrote Dr. Walfisch. “However, doctors must speak respectfully and responsibly, particularly in professional contexts.”

Health Minister Uriel Busso also contacted the Director General of the Health Ministry and the Israel Medical Association and requested a thorough investigation into Dr. Falah.

The  Health Ministry is considering suspending her license and adopting stricter rules about what doctors may post on social media.

In August, an Arab-Israeli doctor working at an Israeli hospital was indicted for membership in a terrorist organization after he was discovered to be a member of the radical Islamist terror group ISIS (Islamic State In Syria).

Prosecutors released details from the charge sheet against Muhammad Azzam, a 34-year-old resident doctor at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.
Born in Nazareth in northern Israel and now residing in Beersheba, Azzam was arrested by Israeli police and the Shin Bet internal security agency  amid suspicions Azzam had ties to ISIS.