UK Lawyers for Israel urges Home Secretary to proscribe Doctors Without Borders over alleged ‘terror links’

UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) has called on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to proscribe Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, alleging links between the humanitarian organisation and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

The legal group’s request centres on allegations concerning an individual who worked for MSF and was allegedly linked to PIJ. UKLFI is urging the Home Secretary to consider whether the organisation should be designated as a proscribed terrorist organisation under UK law.

If an organisation is formally proscribed, membership and certain forms of support for it can become criminal offences under the UK’s counter-terrorism legislation, carrying potentially severe prison sentences.

The move has sparked controversy because MSF is one of the world’s largest humanitarian medical organisations and has operated in conflict zones for decades. The organisation has been particularly vocal about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and has repeatedly called for greater protection for civilians and medical workers.

UKLFI has previously challenged MSF over its public statements and advertising concerning the war in Gaza, including a campaign featuring the claim that MSF was witnessing a genocide in Gaza.

The latest intervention does not mean that MSF has been proscribed in the UK. No such designation has been announced by the British government. The current development is a request from UKLFI for the Home Secretary to consider proscription.

A decision to proscribe an organisation is ultimately a matter for the UK Government under the Terrorism Act 2000 and would have significant legal consequences for the organisation and anyone knowingly involved in activities prohibited by the legislation.

The allegations against MSF and the legal basis for UKLFI’s request are likely to face scrutiny given the potentially far-reaching consequences of designating an international humanitarian organisation as a terrorist group.