US ASKS INT'L RED CROSS TO RECOGNIZE MDA

US asks Int'l Red Cross to recognize MDA

The United States State Department has asked the International Red Cross to recognize Magen David Adom (Red Star of David) as well as the Red Crescent of Muslim nations.  The US argued that Israel has been a signatory to the Geneva Convention for over 53 years, and as such deserves recognition by the Red Cross, Army Radio reported.

FOR BACKGROUND, SEE:International Red Cross Discriminates Against Israeli "Red Cross"

Despite its valorous track record, the Magen David Adom Society is not recognized by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. This is because it is unwilling to adopt the Red Cross or Red Crescent as its emblem, choosing rather to use the Red Shield of David, whose use in the field of humanitarian relief dates to 1930.

The symbol of the Red Cross, the inverted flag of Switzerland, does not have an inherent religious significance. However, when in 1929, Islamic states insisted on the inclusion of the emblem of the Red Crescent, the juxtaposed emblems of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent came to have a religious implication.

As a result, short of adopting either emblem, the Magen David Adom is excluded from membership to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Since 1993, UN Watch has systematically lobbied the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies at their Geneva headquarters, as well as the American Red Cross, to urge them to admit the Magen David Adom to the international fraternity. Furthermore, the Chairman of UN Watch, Ambassador Morris Abram, is one of eighteen experts appointed by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and charged with finding a favorable resolution to the emblem issue.