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American Red Cross Celebrates Inclusion of Magen David Adom and Palestine Red Crescent Society into Worldwide Organization
Written by
Amanda Mark
, staff, RedCross.org
Tuesday, June 27, 2006 — “My grandfather said it’s more important to select your partners than to select your business,” said American Red Cross Chairman Bonnie McElveen-Hunter summarizing Sunday’s celebration of the admission of the Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s first-aid and disaster relief organization, and the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) into the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (Federation).
The decision was reached at the 29th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent last week in Geneva, Switzerland. More than 190 delegates from national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies attended the conference.
The celebration took place in 12 communities across the United States—including Washington, D.C.—and featured a live broadcast from Tel Aviv, Israel, where members of the American Red Cross and the MDA along with government and community leaders gathered to recognize this monumental decision that was described as “50 years in the making.”
Fifty Years in the Making
Since Israel gained statehood in 1948, the American Red Cross has urged other national societies to recognize MDA as a full and equal member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Movement). MDA had been denied access to the Movement because they used the Red Shield of David, which is not explicitly referenced in the Geneva Conventions.
‘‘This important decision has strengthened universality within the International Federation,” said Federation President Juan Manuel Suárez del Toro in a recently issued Federation press release announcing the admittance of the two new national societies. “Our global humanitarian network exists to help the most vulnerable, and it is this imperative that drives us forward.”
Progress toward inclusion of MDA occurred in December 2005 when a Diplomatic Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, adopted the Third Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, which is represented by the red crystal. The Third Additional Protocol creates an additional emblem alongside the red cross and crescent, providing a comprehensive and lasting solution to the emblem question. It’s adoption means that MDA may continue use of the Red Shield of David when operating in Israel and, when operating outside of Israel, to use the Red Shield of David inside the newly-adopted red crystal emblem.
The success of the Diplomatic Conference was due in large part to a series of agreements between MDA and the PRCS. Both societies agreed to take concrete steps to improve humanitarian conditions in these geographic areas. As a result of these agreements, Palestinians now receive urgently needed medical and humanitarian services more quickly.
Reactions from Israel
During Sunday’s celebration, Dr. Noam Yifrach, Chairman of MDA, said that Israel’s humanitarian organization has fulfilled the principles of the Movement during its existence, but that its new official status will allow for easier coordination of local and international disaster responses.
Yifrach also noted that the addition of MDA into the Federation could be attributed in part to the work of seven determined women; he listed U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Switzerland's Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey, former Red Cross Presidents and CEOs Marsha Evans and Dr. Bernadine Healy, Israel Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, American Red Cross Chairman Bonnie McElveen-Hunter and U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice.
With the admission of both societies in the Federation, attending leaders spoke of the need to recognize this decision as the beginning of a new partnership between MDA and the PRCS rather than focusing on the 50-year struggle to reach it.
Mohammed Al Hadid, the conference’s chairman from Jordan, acknowledged the existing strife in the Gaza region, but noted that the mission of the Movement is to reduce the suffering of mankind wherever it is.
“The Movement gives us a platform to live together peacefully especially with the admittance of the two new partners,” said Al Hadid.
For more information about the American Red Cross and Magen David Adom, please visit www.redcross.org/mda.
The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Last year, almost a million volunteers and 35,000 employees helped victims of almost 75,000 disasters; taught lifesaving skills to millions; and helped U.S. service members separated from their families stay connected. Almost 4 million people gave blood through the Red Cross, the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The American Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.
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