Congressional Action

More Than Half of Senate Call for MDA's Immediate Membership With Emblem
Sens. Fitzgerald and Clinton lead effort to end exclusion.
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House Resolution 101
H.CON. RES. 101, introduced on April 4th, 2001, and sponsored by Rep. Engel (D-NY), currently has 15 co-sponsors (5-R; 11-D). The bill expresses a sense of Congress that the ICRC should immediately recognize MDA. It cites the fact that Congress passed a similar resolution last year and references Secretary Powell's statement before the Senate Budget Committee in which he said that the admission of MDA into the international Red Cross Movement is a State department "priority." The language of H.CON.RES. 101 was adopted into the State Department Authorization Bill which passed the house.

Secretary Powell Says He Will Support Inclusion of Israel's MDA in International Red Cross Movement
In response to questioning by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton about whether the Bush Administration would make Magen David Adom's (MDA) — Israel's humanitarian aid society — inclusion in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement a priority, Secretary of State Colin Powell voiced his commitment.
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Senator Clinton Calls for Inclusion of MDA in International Red Cross
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, (D, New York) joins the American Red Cross in support of full voting membership of Israel's Red Cross equivalent, Magen David Adom, by the International Federation and the ICRC. She will add her voice to others in the House and Senate calling for an end to this long-standing injustice.
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Senate Resolution 343
On July 26, 2000, U.S. Senator Peter G. Fitzgerald (R-Illinois) introduced a Senate resolution urging the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to officially recognize Magen David Adom Society as a full member. Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-Connecticut) was the first to sign on in bipartisan support of the Fitzgerald resolution. As of September 26, eighteen additional members have signed as co-sponsors of Senate Resolution 343 including Senators Hagel (R-Nebraska), Helms (R-North Carolina), Lugar(R-Indiana), Lott (R-Mississippi), Mikulski (D-Maryland), Hutchinson (R-Arkansas), Bingaman (D-New Mexico), Grams (R-Minnesota), Inouye (D-Hawaii), Landrieu (D-Louisiana), Sessions (R-Alabama), Specter (R-Pennsylvania), Allard (R-Colorado), Reid (D-Nevada), Schumer (D-New York), Ashcroft (R-Missouri), Feinstein (D-California) and Moynihan (D-New York). The bill will be considered by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on September 27.
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U.S. Senate News Release, July 26, 2000
Senator Peter Fitzgerald Urges Equal Status for Israel's Magen David Adom
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House Resolution 464, April 6, 2000
Introduced by Rep. Benjamin A. Gilman (R-N.Y.), Chairman of the House International Relations Committee, and Rep. Sam Gejdenson (D-Conn.), this resolution calls for the Magen David Adom Society’s admittance into the International Red Cross Movement and recognizes the leadership of the American Red Cross in advocating for MDA recognition.
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U.S. House of Representatives News Release, April 5, 2000
Gilman, Gejdenson Call for International Red Cross to Accept Israeli Relief Agency as Member
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U.S. House of Representatives News Release, April 5, 2000
Gejdenson to Introduce Resolution on Israeli Relief Agency, Meets With International Red Cross President
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U.S. House International Relations Committee Letter to ICRC President, April 5, 2000
On Wednesday, April 5, 2000, Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) accompanied by the Chairman and ranking member of the U.S. House of Representatives International Relations Committee presented Dr. Jakob Kellenberger, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, with a letter urging the recognition of MDA as a full member of the International Red Cross Movement.
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