Lo and behold! Miracle of Miracles! FINALLY, after decades of denials, the International Committee for the Red Cross accepts the admission of Israel’s Magen David Adom Society as a full member. The eventual breakthrough came last December when MDA accepted the Third Additional Protocol, the Red Crystal, created by the ICRC as an alternative to the Red Cross and Red Crescent symbols, to which MDA objected. MDA can combine its traditional Red Star of David emblem with the Red Crystal when operating outside its borders. Eritrea has announced that it will also use the Red Crystal as the symbol for its national society, due to its population mix between Christians and Muslims.
IT’S ABOUT TIME. I have to wonder if certain things were said by the group favoring Israel’s admission (most likely led by the American Red Cross) to the group opposed, that if MDA was not admitted this time, they would withhold their ICRC dues. Hmmmm….
As a side note, the ICRC also admitted the Palestine Red Crescent Society as a member. In so doing, an exception was made to its own rule that member societies operate under sovereign states. They also ignored the fact that the Paleostinians transport terrorists and weapons using Red Crescent ambulances. Israel, on the other hand, transports only dead terrorists using its MDA ambulances. Thus, the battle continues.